Much Ado About Everything and Nothing
by kaerra
Summary: AU-What happens when the characters of Inuyasha are cast in one of Shakespeare's comedies in their high school drama club? Humor, drama and love abound! Inu/Kagome Miroku/Sango Rated for swearing/Shakespeare's sexual references in play. Pls R/R! Ch 3 up!
1. Opening Act

  
  


A/N: Well, it's 12 am and, instead of doing my lovely reading response on a 34-page article about cartography in Naples in the 17th-18th centuries, Kaerra is starting a new fic! Mwah hah hah! School work--who needs it, anyway? : P But anyway, this is an idea I've been kicking around in my head for several months, although just today I decided I wanted to use the Inuyasha cast for it. Oooh, this is going to be so much fun to write! Especially since my labor of love, Kyoudan, is on a semi-permanent state of hold at the moment (sigh...). Anyway, let me know what you think! It's going to start a little slowly, but believe me, it will build quickly. ^_^ Yay for comedy! Especially of the Shakespearean variety... ^__^

This one is for the sangomiroku mailing list, for being such awesome people. You guys rock! Thanks for keeping the discussion and the spirit of that which is Mirosan alive! ^_^

  


By the way, I've taken a little liberty with the structure of the Japanese high school as well as the ages here, to be able to get all the important folks into the high school environment (well, except for the old fogeys, but more on that later). I ask that those of you familiar with the fact that Japanese high schools really only have 3 grades, not 4, to suspend disbelief for me in this story, since that's really the only way I could work so much of the IY cast into it. But anyway, onto the present setup. Rin and Kohaku are high school freshmen, but they're both really young (13) for their class--they both skipped a grade in junior high. Shippou is also a freshman, and also on the younger side of their class (he's like six months older than Kohaku). As for the others, Sesshoumaru is a senior (18), Miroku is a junior (17), Sango is a sophomore (16 and 1/2, so she's still older than Inu and Kagome), Inu and Kagome are sophomores (16), Kouga is a junior (17), Kagura is a sophomore (16), Kikyou is a sophomore (16) and Naraku is a senior (18). Oh yeah, not that it's all that important, but Souta is 9. I think that's keeping with canon, right? (i.e. if Kagome is 15 in the manga, and Souta is 8, then it would follow that Souta would be 9 when Kagome is 16... I hope that's right... math, ugh...)

Also, for those who might be a little wary of the way I've got the high school drama club set up, this is largely based on my own experience as a costume designer for several years in my own high school in America. I'll try to integrate what Japanese elements I'm aware of, but generally I find it more convincing to write about what I personally have some experience with. Just a heads up. Reviews are welcome, as always. ^_^ Have fun!

  


Acknowledgments: Thanks to dream_plane, Kylara and Cassie on the sangomiroku ML for answering my questions about Japanese high schools and the mystery that is Houjo. ^_^ Also, thanks sooooo much to Nana and Aino-kaachan for their unfailing support of me while I struggled through perfecting the ideas for this fic. You guys are the greatest! Without your supportive and informative emails, Nana-chan, I'd have never gotten this chapter finished. ^_^ Thanks also for the beta and comments on Japanese high schools! Zen hugs to you both! ^__^

Dedication: To the long-gone William Shakespeare (or Sir Francis Bacon or whomever, if you believe the claims that Shakespeare was a pseudonym for one of the court wits), for writing plays that are relevant in all time periods and for so many cultures. This story would not exist without him (nor would I be having so much fun writing it!). ^_^

The disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. Much Ado About Nothing is not mine. Miroku is not mine. T_T Given how depressing this is, let's just get on with the story, shall we?

  
  
** Much Ado About Everything and Nothing**   
  
Chapter 1--Opening Act   
  
  
"Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show,/   
But wonder on, till truth make all things plain."   
--_A Midsummer Night's Dream_, V.i   
  


_BRIIIING!_

With a groan, Higurashi Kagome rolled over in bed and assaulted the alarm clock with the back of her hand. It couldn't be morning already... she wasn't ready for it. Besides, she'd been having such a nice dream... 

Fifteen minutes drifted by before Kagome was reawakened from her slumber. 

"Nee-chan! Wake up or we'll be late for school!"

"Ughn, go away Souta," she murmured, rolling away from him.

Souta began to shake her shoulders. "Nee-chan! Wake up! Mama says you need to bike with me to the elementary school on your way to the high school!"

"What?!" The effect was better than any alarm clock could ever hope for. Kagome was suddenly bolt upright in bed, her face as shocked as if someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water over her. 

"I'm supposed to take _you_ to the elementary school?!" she stared at him. "But I'm supposed to bike with Yuka and Ayumi! How can Mama possibly think I'll have time to take you to the opposite side of town?!" 

With that, she leapt out of the bed and headed to the closet, where her new school uniform was hanging, clean and crisp, ready for her first day as a sophomore. 

"Nee-chan, you forget--you're not going to Mitsuwa High School. Mori Elementary is just four blocks away from Shomingeki, your new high school." 

His words froze Kagome in her tracks momentarily. God, how could she be so stupid? Of course. How could she ever forget how surprised she and her classmates accepted into Mitsuwa had been last year when they'd been told that they weren't going to Mitsuwa after all? Apparently there had been so much overcrowding at Mitsuwa that some of the students originally accepted into the school were going to be diverted to a different high school with the same prestige in the Tokyo suburb in which they lived. These students, including Kagome, all lived about halfway between the two high schools. Fortunately for Kagome, her friends Yuka and Ayumi were also being transferred to the other school. Moreover, as far as her daily trek to and from school was concerned, she was no worse off.

"Ne, Souta, you're going to be really early for school if I bike with you there," said Kagome, looking pointedly at the red digits on the face of her alarm clock. "Doesn't your school start at 8:30?" 

Souta's brow wrinkled a little at her words, "Oh yeah, it does." 

"Well then," Kagome stifled a yawn, "why do you have to leave with me? My school starts at 7:50--Mama knows that." 

"Oh, I forgot!" Souta looked at her earnestly. "We're supposed to be there early today, because they're having an extra long assembly to discuss the changes in the school since the 6th grade was just moved to the junior high." 

"Really?" Kagome was surprised. "Why did they move the 6th grade to the junior high?" 

Souta rolled his eyes, feeling the superior sibling for once. "Nee-chan, didn't you know that there's going to be 9th grade in your school, instead of in the junior high?" 

"Of course I know they made a change in the high school, but I hadn't thought--" Kagome shook her head in disgust.

Well duh. Souta really had her on that one. Not only had she found herself being transferred to a different high school than the one she had originally been accepted into, but Shomingeki High school was relatively uncrowded that last year that the school district had decided to move the 9th grade into the high school as well, to relieve overcrowding in the junior high. Both 9th graders and advanced 8th graders across Tokyo had taken entrance examinations last year, which was beyond strange. Kagome knew she wasn't the only one who thought this experiment was bizarre, but at least it had its benefits. She'd never have to experience being at the bottom of the school hierarchy as a freshman, which was always a plus.

Still, if she didn't get moving now, she'd never make it for her first day as a sophomore.

"All right Souta, we'll bike with you to the elementary school, but you have to leave now so I can get dressed."

"Hai, nee-chan!" Souta gave her such a beatific smile that Kagome felt all her earlier irritation with him melt away. He did mean well, after all. And this was certainly the worst of all days to start off on the wrong foot.

The soft thump of the door as it closed behind her was her cue for action. Returning her attention to the closet, Kagome reached for the hanger that held her new school uniform. Holding it aloft in front of the floor-length mirror on her closet door, she admired the dark blue of the jacket, with the gold trim that added such an elegant touch. The skirt was also blue, but lacked the gold edging. Just as well. Too much gold would seem ostentatious anyway. Besides, this was such an improvement over her old green and white uniform from junior high that Kagome couldn't have cared less what the color scheme was. This was a high school uniform, conveying all the prestige and honor of Shomingeki High. Kagome felt herself swell with pride as the significance of that flooded into her. She was going to Shomingeki High, one of the best public high schools in her district. Even though--being one of the newer schools in Tokyo--it lacked the honor associated with Mitsuwa's long history, it was just as prestigious and as well thought of. Honestly, Kagome couldn't have asked for anything better.

_Nothing is going to ruin my day_, Kagome thought as she stripped out of her pajamas and pulled her new uniform over her head. _Today is my first day as a high school student and I'm going to relish it. I made it!_

On that positive note, she grabbed her already-packed backpack in one hand and her shoes in the other and raced out the door.

  


* * *

  


Shomingeki was massive. Made of nondescript gray concrete, it loomed above Kagome, daring her to challenge its prestige and authority. Kagome, however, had no intention of doing so. She was having enough trouble containing her excitement so that her friends didn't think she was acting like a dork.

"Wow, Kagome-chan, it's so big!" Ayumi said from beside her.

Kagome merely nodded in response, her mind running over all the possibilities this place had in store for her. She'd have to decide on a club to join! What fun! And then there were festivals to prepare for, class trips to take in June, and so much more to be excited about!

"Of course it's big, Ayumi-chan," Yuka said from Ayumi's right, rolling her eyes. "It's at least twice the size of our old junior high school."

"I know that," Ayumi huffed. "I meant to say that I hadn't expected it to _seem_ so big!"

Yuka shook her head in feigned superiority, but both of her companions knew that she was just as excited as they were. She just never showed it.

"Right," Yuka broke the momentary silence that fell over them. "Well, the first thing to do is find our homerooms. I'm in 10-2, what about you two?"

"You're in 10-2?" Ayumi squealed in delight. "So am I!"

Kagome felt her heart flutter before sinking into her stomach like a stone. "Oh no... I'm in 10-1!"

Her two friends' enthusiasm dampened a bit at the revelation. "Oh no, you can't be!" cried Ayumi, looking crushed.

"Well there's a simple solution to that--transfer!" Yuka told them matter-of-factly.

"Yuka!" her two companions turned to her in shock.

"You can't just transfer out of homeroom because your friends aren't in it!" Ayumi looked as horrified as though she'd just been told she failed an entrance exam. 

"Why ever not?" Yuka looked at her the way a mother would look at her small child. "It's not like you'd tell them that's the reason why you were transferring anyway."

Kagome felt a rush of frustration run through her at the words. While she dearly wanted to transfer and be with her friends, her conscience told her differently. And that she couldn't easily ignore, no matter how much she wished to.

"But it wouldn't be right--" Ayumi was saying.

"I'm not going to transfer," Kagome's determined voice brought an end to the argument.

Yuka looked at her in surprise. "Why not, Kagome-chan? It's not like you're going to know anyone there!"

Kagome took a deep breath. "Well, then I'll get to meet some new people. Come on, guys. It's not like we won't see each other during breaks and after school. We can always join the same club too, you know."

"But that's not the same, Kagome-chan and you know it--"

Kagome, however, was finished with the discussion. "Look Yuka-chan, isn't that Yamamoto-kun from 9-1 last year?" she pointed at a familiar classmate from their old junior high school.

The trick succeeded in distracting Yuka, and before long, the girls were walking down the hallway that led to the sophomore's floor, where their homerooms were situated. 10-1, Kagome's classroom, was the first on the left side, with 10-2 directly across the hall. The girls lingered outside the doors to exchange a few more words before the first warning bell rang.

"Kagome-chan, you'll be sure to tell us if anyone else from our old school is in your class, ne?" Ayumi said, smiling at the thought of renewing old acquaintances. 

"Of course, Ayumi!" Kagome laughed. "I'll be just as happy to see someone I know as you will be."

"More importantly, Kagome-chan," Yuka looked at her intently, "you'll be sure to let us know if any really cute guys are in your class, right?" she looked so disapproving at the thought that Kagome might fail in her duty that it was too much for her companions to bear.

Kagome and Ayumi were still doubled over in laughter when the bell rang. 

Shaking her head at her friend's antics, Kagome managed to catch her breath long enough to say good-bye to her two friends before turning and entering her classroom. Whatever lay in store for her today, she was determined to meet it with optimism. This was her first day of a new stage in her life--how could she view that with anything other than excitement? 

  


* * *

  


Kachiki Sango slouched in her seat as the first bell signaling the start of classes rang. Another year was about to begin. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, exactly. Sure, homework was a pain in the butt and a definite negative in her book; but then again, there was a fun side to school that she always enjoyed--friendship and after-school clubs. In a school the size of Shomingeki, she was sure to have plenty of opportunities for both. Right now the former would definitely be a good thing, since she hadn't as yet seen anybody she recognized from her old school. 

Sango was one of the few students she knew of from her old junior high school that had been accepted into Shomingeki High School. That had been somewhat hard on her, in retrospect, considering that all of her friends were scattered around at different high schools across Tokyo. However, since the sudden diversion of a number of students from Mitsuwa High School to Shomingeki, Sango was holding out hope that someone she knew would be one of those students. She'd had a couple of acquaintances get into Mitsuwa--perhaps she'd get lucky and one of them would show up in her homeroom. So far, though, no luck. 

Leaning back in her seat, Sango raised her arms up in the air and stretched. Best to get all the tension out of her shoulders before class started. Things would probably end up fine anyway. She only hoped that Kohaku was faring as well as she was. Her little brother might have some trouble fitting in, given that he was almost two years younger than his classmates. Despite his early entry into first grade at 5 and 1/2, Kohaku had proved to be both bright and highly disciplined. Four years in a juku school, which had provided supplementary lessons to what Kohaku had learned in elementary school, had only led to his skipping up another grade upon his entry to junior high. Sango had also taken a couple of years at a different juku school, learning about the less taught-subjects in junior high. Unlike Kohaku, however, she'd never had the interest or the drive to take the more rigorous academic courses at her juku school. She did well enough in junior high to be pleased with her grades, and devoted herself to a number of sports activities in the meantime. Kohaku had never had the same athletic ability or interest as she had, so their father had let them pursue their separate interests in peace. 

Now, for the first time ever, Sango found herself wishing that her little brother weren't so ambitious. At thirteen years of age, he was too young for the high school environment. It never would have happened that he'd be in high school that young, of course, until the 9th grade experiment in Shomingeki that had changed everything. At least she could be thankful that she and Kohaku were in the same school. She'd be around to take care of him if he needed it. That had made her feel better, but couldn't completely erase the worry and tension settled in hard knots in her shoulders. Well, she'd just have to hope for the best, for both of them. There wasn't much she could do to protect Kohaku on this first day of school anyway--not until she was settled into her own new routine.

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

Sango broke out of her reverie and met the warm brown eyes of a girl with long black hair. The girl smiled at her. Her long, elegant fingers were pointed at the desk to Sango's right.

The girl's friendly attitude immediately put Sango on ease; she returned the smile wholeheartedly. "Not that I know of."

"Oh good," the black-haired girl deposited her large backpack on the floor and sank into the chair gratefully.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome," she held her hand out, still smiling happily.

Her happiness seemed to be contagious; Sango found herself grinning back at her. "Kachiki Sango."

"It's so nice to meet you!"

"You too."

Kagome sat back in her seat and glanced quickly around the room. "Not too many people are here yet, it seems."

"Apparently not." Sango also looked around the room, giving it a thorough examination for the first time since she'd entered through the door five minutes earlier. It was a standard school classroom, she supposed, with a few nice touches. Like the new computer over on a desk in the left front corner of the room, with dangling cables that would most likely attach to an overhead projector. The desks were arranged neatly in rows, the wood tabletops smooth and gleaming. The blackboards were probably also new--no one could get blackboards that perfectly clean without a mega-industrial cleaner, and those sorts of things weren't usually used to clean blackboards.

_Not bad at all_, Sango thought, feeling herself relax somewhat.

Apparently Kagome was thinking the same thing she was, for she said, "Wow, this classroom is fantastic."

Sango nodded assent. "It makes my old school look like a janitor's closet in comparison."

Kagome laughed, a sweet merry sound. "I know what you mean. Hey, where did you go to junior high school?"

They continued to exchange pleasantries as the other students filed into the classroom and claimed desks. Glancing at them out of the corner of her eye, Sango was glad she'd picked the middle of the room to sit--it kept her close enough to the teacher, but also allowed her some room to observe her classmates as well. Not that she'd have much time to be doing anything along those lines, but at least the option was there.

Shortly before the second bell rang, a tiny woman with an intricately wrinkled face walked into the room--obviously the homeroom teacher. The students straightened as she took her place at the front of the room behind her desk, her eyes moving from student to student with a sharp precision Sango rarely saw off of the sports field.

When the second bell rang, the teacher leaned forward and addressed them in a gravelly voice. "Good morning, class. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm your new homeroom teacher for the year, Kaede-sensei."

She paused expectantly, and the students all chorused a greeting at her.

"Wow, she looks ancient," Kagome breathed to Sango.

"No kidding," Sango whispered back, intrigued by their new teacher's appearance.

"Now I'm going to call roll before we get to business," Kaede-sensei was saying. "There's a special school-wide assembly starting at 8:00 that we're going to in the auditorium. This will be your first chance to see many of the school facilities, so stick close together and I'll point things out along the way."

She shuffled through some papers on her desk and pulled out the roll sheet. "When we get back, we'll need to establish class rules and responsibilities, including roll call, but for now, I'll spare you all from that. Is Ayanami Keiko here?"

A girl in the front corner of the room raised her hand.

The class remained quiet as Kaede-sensei continued calling out names.

"Higurashi Kagome?"

"Hai!" Kagome raised her hand and Kaede-sensei checked her name on the list.

"Kachiki Sango?"

"Hai."

The teacher had almost reached the end of the list when the door opened and a tall, striking figure was framed in the doorway.

"No way," Sango breathed as the boy walked into the room, tossing his long white locks over his shoulder in nonchalance, his amber eyes lazily scanning the room. 

"Who's that, Sango?" Kagome whispered at her, stunned at the audacity of the guy. To be late on the first day was asking for trouble. If that wasn't enough, how could this guy act so unconcerned about it?

Sango opened her mouth to reply but didn't get a chance to answer. Kaede-sensei's harsh voice cut through the stillness of the room like a knife.

"And who might _you_ be, young man?" she peered at him suspiciously through lowered brows.

"Feh," the boy replied, eliciting shocked looks from his classmates. He totally ignored them, as if oblivious to their existence. "_I'M_ Inuyasha." He emphasized his name in such a way that Kagome wondered whether he was somebody famous that she should have heard of.

"I see," Kaede-sensei looked at him intently a moment, her lips curled into a frown, before looking down at the list. "Ah, Yuuretsu. Well, you just managed to make it before I called your name. Now take a seat--" she indicated an empty desk two seats in front of Kagome, "--and keep your mouth shut until I give you leave to open it."

"Feh," Inuyasha snorted, but did as she bid, tossing his shoulder bag on the floor and practically collapsing into his seat.

Kaede-sensei stared at him for a long moment, obviously debating whether to further reprimand him. Narrowing her eyes, she finally looked down at the list, apparently not willing to deal with the combative Inuyasha further--at least for the moment.

As she resumed roll call, Kagome found herself staring at the newcomer. She wasn't the only one--about half the class's eyes were on Inuyasha, although he appeared either oblivious to it or was deliberately ignoring it.

_Who is this guy, anyway?_ Kagome wondered, dying to ask Sango, whose earlier comment implied that she knew something about him.

In the meantime, Kagome found herself staring at his white head, a brilliant splash of contrast in this room full of darkly attired students. Inuyasha--despite his attitude to the contrary--also wore the same dark blue uniform as every other boy in the room, complete with the crisp white shirt that obviously was seeing use for the first time. Only, where everyone else seemed staid in comparison, Inuyasha's force of personality made the uniform seem like something more than it was... something bordering on dangerous and darkly sensual.

_Darkly sensual?!_ Kagome shook herself inwardly. _Where on earth did _that_ come from? He's no more than a foolish rebel, and one you don't even know at that. Just forget about it._

Kagome was not the only one who breathed a sigh of relief as Kaede-sensei finished calling roll and directed the students to leave their belongings at their desks before heading out to the assembly. Quickly stashing her backpack under her desk so no one could trip over it, Kagome hurriedly got to her feet and joined the line of students leaving the room.

Once in the hall, she turned and waited for Sango, near ready to burst if she couldn't find out the details on this Inuyasha guy. The other girl--who was much taller than Kagome had initially realized, being at least 2 inches taller than Kagome herself--smiled as she exited the room and saw Kagome standing there. They quickly fell into step alongside each other and followed the neat lines of students from their classroom and other classrooms. Up ahead, Kagome spied the dark heads of her friends Yuka and Ayumi as they walked together, whispering at each other. Ordinarily, she'd have been tempted to run up and join them, but she felt quite at ease with Sango, and wanted to spend the rest of the way in conversation with her. Besides, there was that fascinating Inuyasha to learn about...

"Ne, Kachiki-san..."

Sango shook her head and smiled, "Iie, call me Sango."

Kagome grinned in return, "And I'm Kagome."

Sango nodded, her smile widening.

Cheered by her smile--something the other girl seemed to do infrequently--Kagome took a moment to study her, the taller, seemingly mature girl she was glad to have made friends with. Sango had long hair like she did, but hers was a lighter brown than Kagome's shiny black tresses. Her eyes, like Kagome's, were also brown, although they were tinged with a reddish hue that reminded Kagome of a warm mug of Irish Breakfast tea. Her eyelids were lightly brushed with magenta eyeshadow, a color that Kagome wouldn't have thought could go well on someone with brown eyes, but somehow managed to look great on Sango. Her uniform was neatly pressed, the blue skirt ending several inches above her knees. Glancing down at her own skirt, Kagome realized that not only was Sango taller than she, but that she had the natural grace and long legs of an athlete, in addition to countless hours of physical training which gave the girl a muscular physique. Kagome idly wondered which sports teams Sango played on, before realizing that she'd barely have enough time to ask Sango about Inuyasha, their strange classmate.

"Ne, Sango-chan?"

"Hmm?" Sango leaned in to hear Kagome's words, since talking in the halls was obviously going to be frowned upon by Kaede-sensei.

"How do you know that guy, Inuyasha?"

Sango rolled her eyes at the mention of his name. "Oh, Yuuretsu? I don't know him, really. He went to my old school, but he wasn't in my class."

"I take it he had a reputation?" Kagome pressed, surprisingly thirsty for information.

Sango smirked. "You guess rightly. Yuuretsu Inuyasha was always getting into trouble with someone, be it teachers or other students. I'm amazed he managed to get in here, since he got suspended a few times last year, and I've never believed him to be the type to study hard for his exams."

Kagome nodded, realizing that she had drawn the same conclusion. "Well," she said, trying to be fair, "perhaps he's really smart to make up for the lack of discipline."

Her companion shrugged. "Must be, since I can't imagine how else he'd be here. This school isn't exactly a breeze to get into."

"Too true," Kagome agreed. "I barely got into Mitsuwa High School with my exam scores, then I got diverted here with some of my old classmates."

"Really?" Sango looked surprised. "You were one of those who came here from Mitsuwa? That must have been so stressful--to think you knew where you'd be going to high school only to have it change all of a sudden!"

"Tell me about it..." Kagome groaned, and proceeded to tell Sango all about how the unfortunate students who'd been accepted to Mitsuwa had found out about their transfer to Shomingeki.

"You know, that happened to a few people at my school too," Sango said thoughtfully after Kagome had finished her retelling. "Come to think of it, Yuuretsu Inuyasha was one of the people who'd gotten into Mitsuwa. No wonder he ended up here--he must have been diverted like you were."

"Yuuretsu got into Mitsuwa?" Kagome was astonished. "But he seems so indifferent to everything..."

Sango laughed at that. "Well, that's what everyone else thinks too. I guess there's a whole different personality to him underneath all the machismo."

"Hmmm..." Kagome found herself really curious about that. If Yuuretsu Inuyasha really was an intelligent person, why did he go to such lengths to hide it? How could that possibly benefit him? What an enigma he was!

Before Kagome could comment further upon the mystery that was Inuyasha, the class had reached the auditorium. Kaede-sensei had been instructed to seat her class among the other sophomore classes, in the second to last fourth of the auditorium seats. The seniors, by privilege of rank, occupied the first quarter of seats in the auditorium, the juniors the second, and the poor freshmen dead last.

As Sango and Kagome filed into the row of seats Kaede-sensei had indicated to them, Kagome couldn't keep her eyes from wandering around the room. She took in its high dark wooden ceiling, the red carpeting under her feet and the large, elaborate stage at the front of the room, with burgundy velvet curtains tied at the sides. It was a fantastic room; one that Kagome suspected was highly sought after by the Drama Club for their plays.

Her interest quickly shifted to the upperclassmen in the rows in front of her. Would there be anyone she knew, perhaps? Regardless of that, Kagome was curious about her new schoolmates, even if she never ended up having contact with most of them. 

A few rows in front of her, a tall guy with long dark hair in a ponytail was standing over a group of seated guys who sported hairdos stranger than his. He waved his arms around vehemently, obviously telling them something that he felt strongly about. Something about his appearance made Kagome want to burst out laughing, a strange reaction indeed.

_Well_, she thought wryly, _that's definitely something I'd better refrain from doing. With my luck, he'll end up being the most popular guy in the school and I'll completely offend him._

She turned to Sango to ask her if she knew who the guy was, but was surprised to find Sango's attention focused elsewhere. Following the direction of Sango's eyes, Kagome spotted a tall, slender guy whose dark hair was pulled into a small ponytail at the back of his head. He was standing in the main aisle, smiling at a pack of four or five girls who were talking animatedly at him.

"Who's that, Sango-chan?"

Sango practically leapt out of her seat at the sound of Kagome's voice in her ear. Her face began to burn as she realized that she'd been caught staring at some guy she didn't even know.

She told Kagome so: "I don't know, Kagome-chan. Just some upperclassman, I guess."

Kagome either hadn't noticed her companion's embarrassment or refused to remark upon it. "He's cute," she said, tilting her head to the side and quietly appraising him.

Sango shrugged. "I guess so."

They watched as he reached down to take the hands of one of the beaming girls in his own and ask her something intently. From the girl's responding blush, as well as the titters of her companions, Kagome and Sango could easily guess what the question was.

Sango found herself rolling her eyes. "Well, whoever he is, he sure seems to be certain of himself around women."

Kagome was smiling in amusement. "Well, he certainly seems to be very popular with them, that's for certain. I guess he's made one girl very happy."

Sango shrugged again, not really wanting to dwell on the topic any further. "I wonder where Kohaku's class is," she murmured.

She hadn't realized she was loud enough to be heard until Kagome's inquiring voice asked her, "Is Kohaku a friend of yours, Sango-chan?"

Shaking her head, Sango told her about her brother and his unusual predicament. Kagome nodded in sympathy as she talked.

"I understand how you feel Sango-chan. I have a little brother too, and I know I'd be really concerned about him if he were that young in high school too. Kohaku is lucky to have a big sister like you in the same school with him," she added with a smile.

Sango found herself smiling back at Kagome, struck by the ease at which Kagome expressed her thoughts and feelings. "Arigatou, Kagome-chan. I'm sure that your brother is thankful to have a cool big sister like you."

Kagome's reply was drowned out by the sharp cackle of the speaker system as a short middle-aged man on the podium at the left side of the stage tapped at the microphone in front of him. The room quickly fell silent, all eyes focused on the man at the podium.

Light glinted off of his bald pate as he eyed the assembly of students before him.

"Good morning, students, I'm Nanushi, the principal of Shomingeki High School," his smile looked forced. "You are a very special group of students, given that you are to play the guinea pigs for our new school experiment. I'd also like everyone to welcome the freshmen, who are the first group of ninth graders in a high school in Tokyo!"

Following his cue, the students--aside from the freshmen, who were whooping with excitement--clapped politely, many turning around to observe the freshmen in the back of the room. Sango caught a glimpse of Kohaku and waved, receiving an excited wave back. She was just pointing him out to Kagome when Nanushi-kouchou resumed speaking, forcing them to fall silent.

"Now, the purpose of this assembly is to acquaint all of you with the changes being made in school this year. Before I elaborate on that, however, the Drama Club director, Myouga-sensei, has a few words to say to you regarding this semester's play," Nanushi-kouchou gestured to a shrunken old man with a drooping white mustache, who was making his way up the stairs at the far side of the stage.

Myouga-sensei reached the podium and pulled the microphone down significantly to speak into it. His voice was low and deep, like a cheerful cello tune.

"Thank you, Nanushi-kouchou," he bowed to the principal, who returned the gesture and stepped behind him.

Returning his attention to the sea of faces before him, Myouga-sensei continued, "Good morning students. As Nanushi-san just informed you, I am Myouga, the director of Shomingeki's Drama Club. My purpose in speaking to you all at this assembly is to make everyone aware of the slight changes of the Club rules for this semester only."

A murmur rose up from the students at his word, but quickly subsided as he spoke again.

"Because half the students in Shomingeki are new this year, the Drama Club is going to open the auditions for this year's play to all students, regardless of whether they are members of the Club or not."

Once again, his announcement stirred up a response from the students. He allowed them to chat for a moment before holding up his hands in a gesture for silence. The students quickly complied--the room fell so quickly into silence that if someone were to drop a pin on the stage, everyone would have heard it.

"The purpose behind this decision is to give students who wouldn't ordinarily commit to the Drama Club a chance for some exposure to it before deciding to join the club permanently. The same freedom applies to all students who join the production crew for this semester's play," he peered at the students intently, clearly hoping to intimidate them into continued silence.

It worked. Taking a deep breath, Myouga-sensei continued, "In light of this special semester and the school's experiment with the 9th grade, the play being performed this semester will also be special and different. For the first time ever, Shomingeki High School will be putting on a play by William Shakespeare."

This time, despite further glares from Myouga-sensei, the principal and all the homeroom teachers in the room, the students broke out into excited conversation. A Shakespeare play? In English? Such a thing hadn't been done in any high school as far as anyone knew. Didn't that mean that all the actors would have to have a phenomenal command of English to be able to speak the lines properly?

Myouga-sensei was quickly growing impatient with all the chatter, as was Nanushi-kouchou. He cleared his throat loudly, the sound echoing throughout the room. The students quieted down, wondering what else he might have to say.

"There will be a special meeting at lunch today for all students interested in participating in the production. Come to the Green Room on the back side of the auditorium at 12:15 pm sharp. All your questions will be answered then."

Abruptly, he stepped down from the podium and exited behind the burgundy curtains at the left side of the stage. The students were once again aquiver with anticipation, despite the various attempts of the homeroom teachers to quiet them down. It wasn't until Nanushi-kouchou returned to the podium and cleared his throat several times that the room quieted down enough for him to resume speaking.

Kagome barely listened to a word he was saying. She was much too excited by the prospect of a Shakespeare performance, in her own high school! She had seen two English movies about Shakespeare plays--"Much Ado About Nothing" and "Hamlet." While both were good, she infinitely preferred the former, which had made her laugh despite the difficult English words. The actors had been so funny, especially that crazy police constable who couldn't get his vocabulary correct in front of the lords. The romantic plot was great too--Kagome hadn't had any trouble following that at all. When she'd first seen the movie a couple of years ago, she'd thought about how much fun it would be to act in that play... but never in her wildest dreams had she thought she'd actually have a chance to try acting in a Shakespeare play for real!

When the assembly finally drew to a close, Kagome leapt out of her chair and grinned at Sango happily.

"Sango-chan, isn't this exciting? They're going to do an actual Shakespeare play, in English even! Can you believe it?!"

Sango's smile was a little forced. "I suppose so, Kagome-chan. I don't know much about this Shakespeare person, though, so it's hard for me to say one way or the other."

Kagome looked horrified. "You mean you've never seen one of those English movie versions of one of his plays?"

Sango shook her head.

"No way!" Kagome grabbed her arm. "You've got to see one! Even though the English can be difficult to follow at times, they're so well acted that you can still understand what's going on. And the comedies are so funny! I was laughing my head off when I saw--"

"Move along now, class," Kaede-sensei's stern voice interrupted Kagome's excited chatter.

Realizing that all the students in the row were staring at her, waiting for Sango and herself to move, Kagome subsided with a blush. She quickly followed Sango past the raised seats and into the main aisle. They joined the throng of upperclassmen making their way to the exit.

Once outside of the auditorium, Kagome latched onto Sango's arm and resumed the conversation where she'd left off.

"Ne, Sango-chan, are you going to the Drama Club meeting at lunch today?" 

Sango shook her head. "I don't think so. Like I said, I hardly know anything about Shakespeare, let alone any kind of acting."

Kagome looked crushed. "But you should at least come and see what it's about, Sango-chan! Besides," she looked a little sheepish. "I don't want to go by myself."

Sango was growing increasingly uncomfortable. "I don't know, Kagome-chan--"

She was interrupted by a loud male voice behind them.

"Oi!"

Exchanging a surprised glance with Kagome, Sango looked over her shoulder and spied Yuuretsu Inuyasha moving hurriedly through the crowd. Surely he couldn't be talking to her...? She barely knew him. Obviously he was calling to someone he recognized near them.

With a shrug, she and Kagome continued walking down the hallway.

"Oi! You!"

This time, his call was suspiciously close. Sango was about to turn around and tell him to lower his voice when her companion was suddenly dragged to a halt.

Sango whirled around and was shocked to see Inuyasha gripping Kagome by the arm.

"Oi, Kikyou, what's with the silent treatment?!" he shouted in her face.

Sango was about to tell him to back off, but Kagome leapt quickly to her own defense. Fixing him with an angry stare, she said, "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not Kikyou. My name is Kagome."

To both girls' horror, he began shaking her arm. "The hell with that, Kikyou! Don't try and hide from me now, after everything that's happened!"

Kagome's eyes went wide with shock. How _dare_ he speak to her in that tone, mistaken identity or not! The next instant, her eyes were narrowed with rage. "Look here, you jerk! How many times do I have to tell you that I am not Kikyou?! I've never met anyone with that name. My name is Higurashi Kagome. Ka-Go-Me. Get it? If that isn't enough, I have no idea who _you_ are! Can I make myself any clearer?!" Well, okay, that last part was a lie, but she was so pissed off at him she didn't care.

Inuyasha was taken aback by her angry reaction. "You're... not Kikyou?" he asked numbly.

"NO!!!" Kagome shouted, causing all the passing students to stop and stare at them in curiosity.

Inuyasha seemed uncertain how to continue. His expression quickly shifted, however, resuming an angry scowl. "If you're not Kikyou, how can you look so much like her?!"

Kagome had reached her limit. "HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW, BAKA?!" she roared.

Inuyasha looked absolutely flabbergasted. Sango doubted that any girl had ever talked to him that way before, from that look on his face. The amusement factor in that was pretty high, come to think of it, although now was certainly not the time to dwell on that.

"Now, would you please _let me go_?" Kagome ground her teeth, her brown eyes flashing dangerously.

Before Inuyasha could respond, they were interrupted by the cold voice of Kaede-sensei, who was clearly not amused by the proceedings.

"Higurashi, Yuuretsu, do you have something you need to discuss in private?" she demanded.

Both of them flushed a dark red, and Kagome hurriedly shook her head.

"Well, then I suggest you refrain from further conversation and return to the classroom," the teacher finished coolly.

"Hai, Kaede-sensei," Kagome said meekly.

Inuyasha glared at the teacher a moment before snorting in disdain. "Feh." 

His audience stared at him in shock, amazed at his utter audacity and foolishness to address a sensei like that.

While everyone stood like statues staring at him in disbelief, he dropped Kagome's wrist as though it burned him and stormed past her. Kagome stared after him, dumbstruck.

"Higurashi?" Kaede-sensei's voice brought Kagome back to the present.

Shaking herself out of her momentary shock, Kagome turned her attention to the teacher. "Gomen nasai, Kaede-sensei."

The old lady peered at her pensively for a moment. "If you are having any trouble with Yuuretsu, Higurashi, be sure to let me know," she said not unkindly.

"Iie," Kagome shook her head vehemently. "Yuuretsu had mistaken me for someone else is all. I'm sure he won't bother me again."

"Hmm," Kaede-sensei looked unconvinced, but decided to let the matter drop. "Well, move along, we need to return to the classroom."

"Hai, Kaede-sensei," Kagome bowed her head, then took off into a fast trot.

Sango had to jog a few paces to catch up with her.

"Kagome-chan, are you okay?"

Kagome didn't answer for so long that Sango was afraid she wasn't going to. With a huge sigh that shook her shoulders, Kagome turned her head to meet her friend's concerned gaze. "Well, other than being royally pissed off at that jerk, I'm fine."

She snorted in disdain, apparently ready to vent about the episode. "Can you believe that guy, Sango-chan? To think that he thought I was lying when I told him I wasn't Kikyou! Of all the unmitigated gall...!" she clenched her hand into a fist, gritting her teeth in anger as she did so.

Sango nodded in agreement, still completely floored by the strange scene she'd witnessed. "I've heard that Yuuretsu got into a number of fights back at our old school, but I never thought he'd pick one with a girl."

Kagome sniffed. "Well, obviously that poor Kikyou is in store for a real treat." Shaking her head as if to clear it, she dropped the belligerent edge from her tone. "Whoever she is, anyway..."

Sango shrugged hopelessly in response. "She's not anyone I know, I'm afraid. If she did go to our junior high school last year, I never heard about her."

Kagome only nodded quietly, obviously lost in her diminishing anger and shock from the whole episode.

An awkward silence fell as the girls exited the main hallway and entered the stairwell for the second floor, where the sophomore domain was located. Sango took the steps two at a time, fumbling desperately for something to say to comfort her friend. As she pushed the door to the second floor open, she stepped to the side and held it open to Kagome, who muttered a subdued thank you to her as she passed.

Letting go of the door, Sango strode to Kagome's side, determined to restore her friend's normal good cheer. "Ne, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome turned to her expectantly.

"How about going to that Drama Club meeting at lunch together?"

Kagome's glowing smile more than made up for the awkward last ten minutes.

  


* * *

  


"Hurry Sango-chan, the meeting's about to start!" Kagome dashed down the hall, beckoning her friend to follow her.

Sango picked up her pace and followed her friend down the long hallway that wrapped around the back of the school auditorium, where the Green Room was supposed to be located. She had been grateful to see that Kagome's good spirits had quickly returned shortly after they entered the classroom. The fact that Inuyasha hadn't made an appearance since the argument had certainly kept things calm, not to mention interesting. Was he so embarrassed by Kaede-sensei's scolding that he'd ditched homeroom for the rest of the morning? Sango was really curious to see how Yuuretsu was going to fare in homeroom for the rest of the year, considering he'd not exactly made a brilliant start. 

Shaking her head, Sango switched her focus to the task at hand. Somehow, she'd let herself be dragged along to a meeting on a subject she knew nothing about... and the strangest thing was, she didn't really mind at all! After that explosive encounter with Inuyasha, Sango had found herself so concerned about her new friend's state of mind that she would happily have accompanied Kagome to a home economics meeting on sewing baby clothes. It was strange to her how quickly she'd responded to Kagome's proffered friendship, since Sango was a girl who never really jumped into things without a period of observation and reflection beforehand. Perhaps it was the sheer force of Kagome's personality that had left Sango without any doubt of what a good person she was, not to mention what a good friend she'd be.

"Hurry, Sango-chan!" Kagome's excited voice broke through her introspection.

Smiling at her friend, Sango quickened her steps to a long stride. "I'm coming, Kagome-chan."

A scant few minutes later, they reached the door to what must be the Green Room. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Sango followed Kagome through the door, her eyes scanning the room without alighting on any particular person seated in a circle on the floor and the few scattered couches and chairs.

Sango was immediately puzzled at the room's name, since it wasn't actually green. She realized it must be some theater term she was unacquainted with, and quickly moved onto other observations. The room was about the size of her homeroom classroom, although the ceiling was significantly higher. In a corner alcove to her immediate right was a large desk and several bookshelves stuffed to the gills with books on acting, scenery, directing, plus volumes upon volumes of plays. Obviously that area was Myouga-sensei's office. A short distance away and to the left of the desk, a rickety wooden staircase ascended to a loft with a padlock on the door. From the look of it, Sango guessed it to be a storeroom of some sort, perhaps for props, costumes and/or set pieces. In the far corner, about halfway past the wooden staircase, a short hall led to another room, about whose purpose Sango had no idea.

Kagome's tug on her arm redirected her attention to the human element of the room.

"Where should we sit, Sango-chan?" Kagome sounded nervous.

"Uh..." Sango scanned the room's occupants until settling on a face she recognized. With a delighted gasp, she waved at the boy, who was grinning excitedly as he saw her.

"Kohaku! What are you doing here?" she asked, striding over to the sofa he was sitting on.

"I could be asking you the same question, nee-chan," Kohaku smiled up at his sister. "This is the last place I would have expected to see you!"

Sango smiled sheepishly, "Well..."

"She has me to thank for that," came Kagome's voice from her right.

Kohaku looked at her curiously, and Sango quickly made the introduction. He in turn introduced them to one of his freshmen classmates, a small red-haired kid called Naiibu Shippou.

"My onee-san and Higurashi-senpai are sophomores," Kohaku explained to Shippou, who appeared awed by the sight of them.

Kagome smiled gently at the freshman boy, obviously sensing his nervousness. "Konichiwa, Naiibu-kouhai."

"Iie," Shippou shook his head vehemently, his shaggy hair flying across his forehead. "Call me Shippou."

The two senpai nodded. "Of course, Shippou," Kagome said. "And you can call me Kagome."

Shippou nodded eagerly. "Here, Kagome, have a seat," he stood up and gestured to the space on the sofa he'd just occupied.

Kagome was surprised by his gesture. "Iie, Shippou-kun, I couldn't take your seat..."

Sango, who'd been quiet for the past few minutes, asserted herself into the issue. "Kagome-chan, there's plenty of room on the sofa for all of us, as long as you two don't mind scooting over."

Kohaku smiled happily at his sister and shifted to the far left side of the sofa, while Shippou moved to the far right. Sango and Kagome then sat down in between them.

"So how has your day been so far, Kohaku?" Sango asked her brother with a touch of concern.

Kohaku's responding smile immediately put her at ease. "Great, nee-chan! I met Shippou in my homeroom, and it turns out he's the same age that I am!"

"Really?" Sango turned to look at the small freshman that was talking animatedly to Kagome. "Yes," she nodded, "I can see that."

"Hai."

"What made you decide to come to this meeting?" Sango continued.

Kohaku was in the midst of telling her how interested he'd been by Myouga-sensei's announcement when the man himself entered the room from a doorway in the far corner, directly across from the door from which Kagome and Sango had entered the room. The chatter around the room abruptly ceased as Myouga-sensei pulled the chair from behind his desk and positioned it at the head of the circle.

"Well, this is a good-sized crowd," Myouga-sensei said in surprise, raising his bushy eyebrows dramatically. "I take it my announcement was of some use after all." 

He was met with several heads bobbing up and down.

"To business, then," Myouga-sensei directed his gaze across the room to a chair where a tall, slender boy with the same long white hair as Yuuretsu Inuyasha was reclining gracefully.

"Yuuretsu, why don't you begin by explaining the club rules to everyone?" 

Yuuretsu...! Kagome and Sango exchanged startled glances, each reading the other's thoughts. Did that mean that Inuyasha had an older brother?

Yuuretsu-senpai straightened in his seat, his eyes traveling around the room intently. When he spoke, his voice was deep and melodic, much more commanding than Inuyasha's angry growl.

"I'm Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru, the president of the Drama Club. This is my third full year as an active participant in the club, making me the oldest member present today other than Myouga-sensei."

He paused for dramatic effect. The students digested that information and regarded him in awe.

"The Drama Club meets in this room daily for two hours, beginning at 3:15," Sesshoumaru informed them, his eyes continually moving from student to student. "We also meet on two Saturdays per month, although as a production nears its performance run, we increase the number to every Saturday."

He fixed his gaze on Sango, who had to consciously keep herself from shrinking back at the look of cool authority in his golden eyes. "We put on three plays a year, one per semester. Generally the senior officers of the club, under guidance from Myouga-sensei, pick the plays that will be performed, although occasionally a vote will be put to the rest of the club."

His gaze shifted to Kagome, who had a little more difficulty in acting as unaffected as Sango had. "Once auditions have been held and the cast has been established, the meeting times will be used exclusively for the cast to rehearse with Myouga-sensei, who is our director. It is also time to be utilized by the production crews to begin working on their tasks, whether it be stage design, costume design, lighting design, or other no less important responsibilities. As we progress through the semester," he eyed a young woman with dark hair caught up in a twist at the top of her head and bright red eyes, "actors will be expected to assist the production crew in painting and putting up the set or helping the costume crew with costume repairs."

His eyes settled on a spot on the wall, making the students who'd already encountered his gaze relax a little. "Now, I'll introduce you to the other senior officers of the Club. There are five altogether, including myself. Firstly," he gestured to a blue-eyed guy with long black hair in a ponytail-someone Kagome seemed to know, given her small gasp of recognition--"we have Funjin Kouga, who is the expert on set design and construction."

The upperclassman raised his hand in acknowledgment. "Yo."

Yuuretsu-senpai seemed to repress an irritated scowl and moved onto the next officer. "This is Rakurai Hiten, the lighting expert," He indicated a tall, lithe guy with long black hair tied back in a braid, who was lounging lazily against the wall. He shrugged his shoulders slightly in response to Yuuretsu-senpai's introduction.

"Next, we have Manzai Jakotsu, the costume and makeup expert," Yuuretsu almost looked disgusted as he gestured to a guy with a feminine hairstyle and strange make-up on his face. He was sitting on the arm of one of the sofas, his face in a big grin. Sango found herself wondering if the guy was into the glam rock scene, since he certainly looked like he could have been a band member.

"Hello everyone," Manzai continued to grin at everyone.

"Definitely a weirdo," Sango muttered under her breath. She could feel Kohaku and Kagome nod from either side of her in response to her words.

"And lastly, we have Hinutsu Miroku, who handles publicity and also acts as a kind of human relations officer."

Sango blinked as her eyes followed the direction of Yuuretsu-senpai's hand. It was the guy she'd seen earlier in the auditorium, the one surrounded by all those girls. 

Apparently Kagome had also made the connection. "Hey Sango, it's that guy from the assembly."

Up close, Hinutsu Miroku was more attractive than either girl had initially believed him to be. His dark hair contrasted nicely with olive skin and startling lavender-blue eyes set under dark brows. His slender form was relaxed into the armchair he occupied, several seats from Myouga-sensei's right side. Two girls perched on the arms of his chair, smiling insipidly as everyone looked at the three of them.

"Greetings, everyone," Hinutsu smiled disarmingly, earning him a chorus of smiles intermixed with giggles from several areas of the room.

Sango felt her hackles begin to rise as his smooth, confident voice entered her ears. God, that guy was such an arrogant playboy! Just look at the way he was smiling with such self-absorbed contentment. He even had his arms around the waists of the two girls perched on his chair! Did the guy have no shame?

Kagome must have felt her stiffen next to her. "What's wrong, Sango-chan?" she whispered in her ear.

Sango gave her shoulders a little shake, surprised at the strong feeling Hinutsu had elicited in her. "Just disgusted by that guy's arrogant complacency."

"Hmm..." Kagome turned her gaze to Hinutsu, who was still smiling innocently at everyone. Apparently sensing her regard, Hinutsu raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at her suggestively. Kagome stared at him in disbelief before quickly averting her eyes.

"I see what you mean, Sango-chan."

"Arrogant lech," Sango muttered.

Kohaku was looking at her in surprise, obviously having heard her last comment. "Nee-chan...?" he looked at her with a mixture of confusion and concern.

Sango suddenly felt the uncomfortable regard of someone's eyes upon her, and she raised her eyes to meet the lavender gaze of Hinutsu himself. He'd cocked his head, looking at her appraisingly, as if trying to figure out how easy it'd be to get her into his good graces. Sango felt as though a rock had settled in her stomach as the realization that that jerk--that hentai!--could be lining her up as another admirer entered her mind. She shot him the most disgusted glare she could manage, and was rewarded by the momentary expression of surprise that darted across his even features. That would show him what messing with her would be like. Humph.

Aware that the rest of the room had fallen silent, Sango shifted her glance to either side of her and realized that everyone was staring at her and Hinutsu. Horribly embarrassed by the thought that everyone could sense her distaste for him--playboy or no, it wasn't like she knew the guy--she sank back into the sofa, wishing she could disappear.

Myouga-sensei's deep voice ended the awkward moment. "Thank you, Yuuretsu. Now," his eyes met Sango's for a moment, before moving on to encounter the gazes of other students in around the room, "onto this semester's play.

"As you know from my announcement at this morning's assembly, we will be performing a play by the English playwright, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare lived during the English Renaissance, during the reign of Elizabeth I, and his plays were quite well-known even back then. As I'm sure many of you know, they are still widely performed throughout Britain, The United States, Canada and Australia, to name a few. Many of you may also have seen one of the movie dramatizations of his plays in English," he nodded at Kagome, reading the emotions on her face that told him that she was among those students.

"Therefore, I assume that most of you know the difficulty that will placed upon all the actors in this production at handling the difficult English words. Shakespeare is known to give native English speakers some trouble as well, so for us it will be even more arduous and time-consuming to get right. However, I feel that it is something that, albeit with a lot of hard work, we can accomplish. I have taught English literature at this high school for the three years that I've been a teacher here, and for many years of my teaching career before that. Once the play is cast, I will hold several sessions outside of the normal club meeting times where we'll go over English pronunciation, as well as elaborate upon the meanings of many unknown words. I may also ask some of my native English-speaking colleagues to come in and help us out."

He paused a moment, to take a breath. "Now, I believe I've kept you in suspense long enough about which play we'll actually be performing. For this semester's production, I've chosen a play that boasts several female lead roles as well as a number of male leads. The play is one of Shakespeare's dark comedies, titled 'Much Ado About Nothing.'"

A few scattered gasps of excitement met his words, including from Kagome's direction.

"Sango-chan, this is so exciting!" Kagome hissed, grabbing Sango's arm in her enthusiasm. "That's my favorite Shakespeare play! I saw the movie a few years ago, and it was just great--"

"Uh, Kagome-chan..." Sango nodded at Myouga-sensei, who looked like he was about to speak again. Getting the message, Kagome quickly subsided.

"I can see from the reaction that a number of you are familiar with this play," Myouga-sensei said, appearing amused. "For the auditions, we will be reading excerpts from several scenes, so I suggest that those of you wishing to audition find a copy of the play, either at the library or on the internet, and familiarize yourself with the story, the characters, and the English dialogue. A large factor of the casting decisions will be based upon how well you can speak the English. Auditions will be on Wednesday at 3:15. We'll meet here in the Green Room, and then move into the little theater--" he gestured to the doorway that he'd initially entered the room from, "--to read from the scripts. For those of you interested in production crew, there will be a meeting concerning that on Thursday afternoon. Unless there is an unforseeable delay, the cast list will be posted on the bulletin board on the wall--" he indicated the bulletin board hanging just above the sofa where Jakotsu was sitting, on the opposite side of the room from Kagome and Sango, "--on Thursday. Now anyone with further questions may come and see me in private. The rest of you I'll leave to your lunches, since you've got about twenty minutes left."

Myouga-sensei stood up, and a circle of excited students formed around him. The rest of the students, however, began to get up and stretch, while a few, like Kagome and Sango, remained in their seats, talking excitedly.

"Sango-chan, we have to try out!" Kagome was beaming with excitement. 

Sango was shaking her head. "I don't think so Kagome. I'm not much of an actor."

"That's not true, nee-chan!" Kohaku protested, overhearing her self-deprecating remark.

Kagome shot him a grateful look, and returned her attention to Sango. "You can always just try, Sango-chan. If you don't like it, you don't have to take a part."

"That's assuming I'd even get one," Sango muttered. "I don't know if my English is up to the task. It sounds really difficult, Kagome-chan."

"Come on, nee-chan, you're great in English!" Kohaku urged her, unwilling to see his sister criticize herself. "You get the highest marks in it every year!"

"Well yes, but that's not based on pronunciation..."

"Pronunciation is still a part of it, Sango-chan," said Kagome, nodding her head at Kohaku. "Ne, Kohaku-kun, are you going to try out too?"

"Hai!" Kohaku grinned at her. "Why not, right? I don't really have anything to lose."

Smiling triumphantly, Kagome turned to Sango, "See, Sango-chan? If Kohaku-kun has nothing to lose, then you don't either."

Sango was starting to feel cornered by their persistence, despite the good-natured intentions behind it. "I don't know Kagome-chan. Drama Club is going to take up a lot of time, and traditionally I've always participated in a Sports Club after school." 

"Oh," Kagome's enthusiasm dampened then. "What sports do you like to participate in?" she asked, rallying her spirits somewhat.

"Well, I like soccer and swimming, but my favorite is track and field," Sango said, warming up to the subject. "My events are discus throwing and shot-put."

"Nee-chan is really good at them too," Kohaku said with obvious pride. "She won several medals at the regional championship last year, and even went to the Tokyo prefecture meet and placed in the top 12 there!"

"Wow!" Kagome looked at Sango in awe. "You're really talented, Sango-chan! Were you planning on joining the Track and Field Club, then?"

Sango nodded.

"Well," Kagome gave her a evaluating look, "I suppose I shouldn't be trying to convince you to try out for the play if you've already got something you want to do." 

Sango shook her head, "I'm not totally decided yet, Kagome-chan. Besides, given what Myouga-sensei said about this semester being a 'free' period to participate, I could be involved in this semester's production without having to make a permanent commitment to the Club."

Kagome's eyes sparkled at her admission. "Then you're really considering trying out for the play?"

Sango blinked, caught a little off-guard by Kagome's question. "Well, no... I don't know. I mean, I know nothing about the play, really."

Kagome opened her mouth and was about to say something when Kohaku got to his feet, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, nee-chan, Kagome-san, but Shippou and I really ought to be getting back to class."

"As should we," said Sango, grateful for the interruption. She also got to her feet, Kagome following suit.

"Well, I'll see you after school, Kohaku," Sango smiled down at her younger brother, who was only a couple of inches shorter than she.

"Okay, nee-chan!" Kohaku returned her smile, then he and Shippou made their way past the circle of students surrounding Myouga-sensei, and out the door into the hallway that wrapped around the auditorium and the little theater. Sango and Kagome were close on their heels, both in a hurry to return to the classroom so they'd have some time to eat at least part of their lunch obento boxes they'd brought from home.

As they fell into step alongside each other, Kagome's face lit up as an idea formed in her mind. "Ne, Sango-chan, why don't you come over to my house and watch the movie of 'Much Ado About Nothing' with me?" Taking Sango's silence as encouragement, she continued, "It's been a few years since I last saw it, and we could rent it on the way home at the video store by my house."

"Uh... well, I'd love to, Kagome-chan, but..." Sango trailed off. While she had originally planned on attending the afternoon meeting of the Track and Field Club, she could always go tomorrow without any hassle. Besides, this was an opportunity to not only get to know her new friend better, but to see whether she even understood the play well enough to consider trying out for it.

"Okay, Kagome-chan, I'll come," she said, and was rewarded by Kagome's happy expression at her words.

  


* * *

  


Sango was amazed to discover that she loved Shakespeare. She found that such an admission both astonished and pleased her, however paradoxically. Kagome had been right--"Much Ado About Nothing" was hilarious. The dialogue, while difficult to follow at times, had a beautiful flow to it, something intensely powerful and romantic. The humor was surprisingly mature and spirited for someone from the 17th century, and, moreover, seemed fitting for modern society as well.

Most of all, however, Sango had loved the interaction between Beatrice and Benedick, the play's main characters. They were the lovers that refused to admit their interest, hiding instead behind barbed insults and merry jests. She had been hooked by them at the start, and had felt her admiration for both actors grow as the movie progressed. When the mood shifted from light and merry to dark and tragic when the lovers Claudio and Hero fell out from an evil plot engendered by the bad guys, things between Beatrice and Benedick only continued to heat up. They were the foundation of the story, the characters that scorched the screen with their personalities and their dramatic exchanges. Sango couldn't begin to imagine the rush each actor must have felt when reciting those amazing lines and expressing such intense emotion. Why, she'd never seen anything like it in her life!

Now, although she could never admit this to anyone, not even Kagome, she was dying for a chance to read the role of Beatrice, just once. Just to see what it felt like to say such magnificent language, to get caught up in the drama of their stormy love affair. So when she said good-bye to Kagome late that afternoon, thanking her heartily for sharing her home and the movie with her, she had secretly made up her mind. For better or for worse, she would audition for the play on Wednesday.

  
  
  


Endnotes: Hee hee, the audition and its results will be in the next chapter. I've already written part of it, and man, are things going to heat up between Miroku and Sango, not to mention between Inuyasha and just about everyone. ^_^ So please, please, if you like (or dislike) this fic, leave me feedback and let me know! :beseeches readers with starry puppy eyes: Anyway, I'm rather behind in classes right now, so I don't know how long it will take me to post the next chapter--although certainly not as long as Kyoudan ch. 2 (which is an icky evil chapter that I'm _still_ stuck on...). 

Because of the large number of unfamiliar words and concepts in this chapter, I've made a glossary of terms (including some American theater concepts that many people may be unfamiliar with). Hopefully it will resolve any confusion. ^_^

  
  
Nee-chan--an affectionate way of saying "sis" or "sister"  
Shomingeki--okay okay, I was having a little too much fun when I came up with the name of the high school. According to the online dictionary I got it from, it means "drama of ordinary people." Can you think of anything more fitting for this story? ^_^   
Ne--has two different meanings depending on where in the sentence it is placed. When placed in the front, it means something like "hey." When placed at the end, it means something like "don't you think?" or "isn't that so?"  
Hai--means "yes" (although I think it's a little more formal than that, but don't hold me to it)  
-chan--a suffix attached to girls' names, usually as an affectionate term of friendship or endearment (although I guess it can be used for guys as well, since Kagome calls her grandfather jii-chan).  
Kachiki--okay, I admit, I did the same thing with the characters' last names that I did with the name of the high school--that is, infuse them with personal meaning for each character's personality. Just my silly way of entertaining myself... ; P Because I am perverse, however, I'm only going to give the meaning of this name--all the others y'all can look up for yourself! (well, unless I get a bunch of annoyed people telling me to give out the darn meanings or else...) Anyway, this word means "determined or unyielding spirit."  
Juku schools--Right, where to begin with this? I looked up some information about Japanese high schools (as well as utilized dream_plane's excellent reference on junior highs and elementary schools), and found out about two different kinds of supplementary schools students go to--juku and yobiko. Going to the websites listed below will give you a more detailed description, but suffice it to say that juku schools are places where students would go to get supplementary lessons to the ones they were receiving in their main school. Students could also learn about less-taught subjects in junior high, for example, at a juku school, which is largely what Sango and Kohaku did in this story. Anyway, here's two websites with information about these kinds of schools: http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/ee/eegls.htm#juku http://www.indiana.edu/~japan/digest9.html  
-sensei--basically means "teacher." It's a suffix attached to the surname of a teacher, and included when students address the teacher directly.  
-san--a suffix which is polite and formal. Used to address elders or people that one doesn't know (as far as I'm aware of, anyway...)  
Iie--basically means "no."  
Arigatou--means "thank you" (although there are more formal ways of saying it too)   
Nanushi--Well, I was searching around for someone to play the principal, and the only guy I could find who was the right age and personality was Nanushi, the village head from the fake shuijin episode (ep. 27 in the anime)-which, might I add, is also the first time Sango slaps Miroku (hee hee, and I even own a cel of it!!! ^__^) I'd forgotten his name, along with the names of a lot of the minor characters, but was saved by this awesome website: http://www.fangirlfriday.com/~katy/anime_shrines/inuyasha/yasha_smallcharacters.html My thanks to the webmistress for all her pains! ^_^  
-kouchou--According to Nana-chan's informative sister, it's the suffix for "principal" used in Japan. Although she's not certain if it's used for direct address or anything like that. Anyone else who knows about that, please let me know! ^_^  
clubs and permanence--When Myouga talks about giving the students a "free" period to decide whether to join the club, this is a very unusual thing, as far as I can tell from all my research thus far. Students usually join one after-school club, and they remain in it for the duration of their time at the school. It is rare for students to switch clubs, apparently. So Myouga's decision is both unusual and kind, since he's allowing students a chance to experiment in the club without being forced to commit. Sango's own reluctance in getting involved in the drama club is based on this, since she's always been active in a sports club, and had intended to continue it.  
Green Room--okay, I couldn't resist using this. It's an American term for the room where the drama department is located. I don't know the history of where the name came from, but it's usually the room where most meetings are held, as well as where the director's office is located. It's like the central room from which everything else is connected. Usually there'll be several rooms connected with it, like the costume room (in my school's case, it was a loft, which was always fun to hang out in ^_^), and the dressing room (well, one of them, since there was another one on the other side of the little theater). The little theater was also attached to the Green Room, and many actors often entered the stage for their scenes from the Green Room (as well as hung out there when they weren't onstage anytime soon). In my high school, the little theater was on the backside of the massive school auditorium. Depending on how big our shows were, we'd use either the little theater as the main stage and the auditorium stage as backstage--in addition to the green room--or we'd use the auditorium stage and the little theater as backstage (the latter of which was much easier to navigate, in my opinion). Rehearsals usually took place in the little theater, until we moved our built sets onto the auditorium stage (in the case of a larger production, including both Shakespeare plays I did crew for). There will be vastly more information about the set-up of the drama club and the two theaters in Shomingeki high school (since I'm sticking with the model I experienced in high school) as the story continues.  
English movies of Shakespeare--the two movies that Kagome refers to here are the 1993 production of "Much Ado About Nothing" with Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington and (uh huh huh huh) Keanu Reeves starring. It's a really great production, especially in the way they handle the scenes between the sparring lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, as well as the scenes between their friends as they try to get them together. The "Hamlet" I'm referring to here is the only one I've seen, which I know is good. It's the old Laurence Olivier version from 1948, the first famous movie version of Hamlet as far as I know (the first-ever movie version of Hamlet, however, was apparently a French silent film in 1907). Olivier is a trademark name in the annals of famous Shakespearean actors of the 20th century. His version is still excellent, despite its age, although I haven't seen the more recent Branagh version (which is supposed to be fantastic and reeeeally long), so I couldn't compare them.  
Oi--Inuyasha's ever-rude way of trying to get someone's attention. I think it translates rougly to "hey" or "hey you."  
Baka--heh, another word we hear a lot in the Inuyasha series... ^_^ Means "idiot" or "fool."  
Gomen nasai--a more formal version of "I'm sorry." I'm not sure what the last part adds to it though... in English, perhaps the equivalent would be something like "I'm terribly sorry."  
-senpai--a suffix used by underclassmen when speaking to upperclassmen. I'm not exactly sure what the exact meaning is, but it's obviously a sign of respect and age. The suffix for underclassmen, which Kagome uses to address Shippou, is kouhai.  
Konichiwa--basically means "hello."  
  
  


Phew! Long enough end-notes, ne? Well, they're only going to get longer, I fear, given that once rehearsals for the play begin, I'm going to have to put the definitions of many of the words from Shakespeare's time that most native English-speakers stare at in stupefaction when they read them (myself included). ^_^ Anyway, thanks so much for reading this INSANELY long chapter! I have no idea how long the next chapter will be, but if you guys like 'em long, I'll see what I can do to keep 'em long (well okay, that's not exactly a trial, but still...). ^_^


	2. Call to Merriment

  
  


A/N: Phew! It has taken me waaaaay too long to write this. But there was so much to be said, so many characters to explore, and so much Shakespeare to transcribe, that I hope you'll forgive the delay. I think the wait will end up being worth it. ^_^ Anyway, somehow I managed to make this chapter far longer than the last one (please don't shoot me). I've thought about dividing it into two, but I feel like it would completely disrupt the flow of what I'm doing by making such a break. So please bear with me as you trudge through these twenty odd pages of text. The endnotes will be long as well, due to my decision to include meanings for many of the words quoted from Shakespeare. If enough people believe that this is superfluous, please let me know in the review section and I'll remove those notes in the next chapter (which probably won't have many anyway, as far as things are looking so far).

Nana, I hope you don't mind, but I'm borrowing your idea of having Miroku use Hachi as a kind of errand boy for him (although I suppose that's technically borrowing from the manga as well, but I still wanted to credit you for doing it first and so well in Dokyusei). ^_^ Also, this chapter is dedicated to you, for all your enthusiasm and support, including a hurried mini-beta in the midst of your exams and that evil presentation. Thank you so much, Nana-chan! Zen hugs!!! ^___^

As a last comment, dream_plane, you were curious about why I chose to have the play performed in English when there are Japanese translations of it. The truthful answer is: because I love the way the play sounds in its native language. I can't imagine the Japanese version capturing the lyricism and passion behind the language. It's kind of like anime--the English dub versions usually fall pitifully short of the original Japanese because many of the jokes and figments of speech just don't work right in English, especially when English-speaking people are trying to pronounce things properly. In addition, many Japanese high school students have better knowledge of English than most American high school students have of their chosen foreign language, so I believe it would be much easier for them to tackle Shakespeare than it would be for us to tackle Brecht for example. But it turns out that in my German 4 class (4th year), we read an entire German play, Besuch der Alte Dame (translated in English as "The Visit" but it really reads "Visit of the Old Lady") auf Deutsch, and it was done fairly well. Of course, we didn't really act it out, but I believe we could have, since our knowledge of German was good enough that we could easily understand the emotion behind the words, even though our comprehension would have probably been better if we read the English version of the play. And we're lame Americans, who don't start learning foreign language till 7th grade, and even then, it's not required until college! (still amazed by this total display of isolationism, but that's a rant for another day...) So that's why I did it this way. ^_^ It was a good question, too, so please don't feel like you made me waste space by answering it. ^___^

I don't own Inuyasha, Miroku or any of Rumiko Takahashi's creations (but I really want Miroku!!! At least "for working days" hee hee (bad pun, read Act I and you'll find it). Beatrice and Benedick belong to William Shakespeare. The analysis of words in the play is from G.B. Harrison's complete works of Shakespeare. Right... at least Shomingeki is mine! Mwah hah hah...

Okay, last note, I swear. In English lit, whenever we deal with plays in general, we put a / between words to signify where a line in the written text of the play ends. Doing this is very important, especially with Shakespeare, because an actor's delivery is based very strongly in maintaining the flow of the pentameter that is being used in the text (although mostly it's iambic with Shakespeare, although he'll change it a lot to signify something about a specific character). So I adhered to all that English and drama training of my youth and left them in. Sorry if they're somewhat irritating, but I'd go nuts with guilt if I didn't include them. : P

  
  
Chapter 2--A Call to Merriment   
  
"Banter is foreplay, and Shakespeare knew it!" -Nana (hee hee, had to use this, hope you don't mind ^_^)   
  


The halls were surprisingly empty for the beginning of the lunch period. However, he had ducked out of his class as quickly as he could, his need to gain some information from a friend on the sophomore floor dictating his actions. As he exited the stairwell on the second floor, where the sophomores were located, a line entered his mind, unbidden.

_That a woman conceived me, I thank her..._

Hinutsu Miroku smiled wryly at himself, unsurprised to find lines from "Much Ado About Nothing" running through his head even at this early stage.

Ordinarily, he didn't begin memorizing lines from the various productions he was in until the first week of rehearsals. But this was different--a new challenge to test his abilities as an actor. If he could pull off the Renaissance English without a hitch, then he could do anything. He felt it with utter certainty.

Besides, this play was his chance to land the best role of his acting career--that of Benedick, the wonderfully witty and entertaining self-professed bachelor who ends up renouncing his single status after a long, confused courtship with his leading lady. The demands on the actor for the role were significant--a sense for the dramatic, a knack for comedy, and, most importantly, a real sense of the rhythm and beauty of the lyricism that dominated all of Shakespeare's plays. It was a role to be coveted by many, despite the aforementioned challenges. Miroku was certain to have a good deal of competition, but he refused to let himself dwell on that. What did it matter that Sesshoumaru had consistently landed the most coveted roles over the past year? This was going to be different. The role was practically _made_ for Miroku. Sesshoumaru was too dignified, too aloof, to pull it off properly. He'd be a far better Don John or Don Pedro, despite the comedic demands upon the latter character's actor. No, Myouga-sensei had planned this play so things could be different--the old order rearranged--and Miroku planned to take full advantage of it.

_... That she brought me up, I likewise give her most humble thanks,_ Miroku smiled, pleased that the rest of the dialogue was coming to him so easily. _But that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invisible baldrick, all women shall pardon me. Because I will not do them the wrong to mistrust any, I will do myself the right to trust none; and the fine is, for the which I may go the finer, I will live a bachelor._

Ha! It couldn't have been better spoken! How well the character fit him really was astonishing.

_Too bad Benedick was never mentioned as a man "well-acquainted," so to speak, with all the ladies_, Miroku thought bemusedly to himself. _Simply being a bachelor without _any_ sort of female distraction would be too depressing. After all, the poor man _is_ human._

As if to prove his point, two sophomore girls exited from their classroom, and, upon catching sight of him, cast demure, yet suggestive glances at him. He gave them one of his most charming smiles, but chose to pass them by. His mind was on more important matters than giggling sophomores.

_No, it is simply inconceivable that poor Benedick never charmed the ladies during his youth,_ Miroku told himself. _How else would he be able to deal with, and later appreciate, Beatrice if he hadn't sampled all the wares first? No, I will persist in the belief that Benedick probably made sufficient rounds among the ladies before the start of the play. When I get the role, that's something I must make sure is a part of his character._

When... yes, that was how he had to navigate the upcoming audition, by maintaining utter confidence in his ability--no, his _right_ to the role. Besides, he had help to make sure he was more than prepared for the cold read at the audition.

Miroku had now reached the door where the two girls had exited, and grasping the handle, quickly pulled it aside. He peered inside, seeking his quarry. Knowing Hachi, he'd probably be sitting in the back of the room, trying to stay in the background, observing. Ah--there he was!

"Hachi," Miroku nodded at his friend, who was quickly scrambling to his feet at the sight of him.

"Miroku! I have the information you wanted!" Hachi exclaimed.

In his haste to the door, he caught his foot in someone's backpack and went sprawling across the floor. All conversation among his fellow classmates ceased as they turned and stared at the spectacle of tangled legs and canvas.

Miroku closed his eyes and shook his head in resignation. So the routine would follow normal standards today. Ah well, there was always hope for next time.

Calmly entering the room, he strode quickly to where Hachi was attempting to disentangle himself from the backpack's straps, and somewhat unceremoniously hauled him off the ground. Grasping him by the arm, Miroku led the way back to the door. It wouldn't do to try and talk to Hachi in here with all those people staring at him. Although a few of the girls were decidedly good-looking...

A chorus of giggles followed them as Miroku deposited Hachi in the hall and, utilizing the slow, almost lazy smile that was so successful in charming the ladies it had become his trademark, eyed the girls as he slid the door shut. Yes, definitely some good prospects in that classroom. He'd have to find out their names from Hachi after the audition was over.

"Um, Miroku?" Hachi was looking at him a little warily.

With his tousled dark hair, slightly disheveled uniform, and large round horn-rimmed glasses that were out of 70s sitcom, Hachi was a contrary image, as awkward as Miroku was assured, and short and pudgy where Miroku was tall and slender. Indeed, they made quite an unlikely pair.

_But_, Miroku reflected with amusement, _that's the fun of it. Whoever would suspect that either of us could have anything in common? It only adds to the fascination factor I have anyway, which is always a good thing._

Besides, Hachi could do things and go places that he couldn't, since no one paid the smaller boy much heed. Miroku, on the other hand, stood out far too easily, even when he wasn't deliberately trying to. For his purposes, it did well to have an inconspicuous, somewhat nerdy friend to run certain errands for him. And Hachi, who had hardly any friends, could happily count himself as Miroku's closest confidante. It was a system that satisfied both parties, and one that Miroku had even grown to look forward to, despite his initial feelings to the contrary when they'd first begun their friendship in junior high.

"So," Miroku gave Hachi an appraising stare, somewhat amused by Hachi's poor attempt to hide his trepidation over the scrutiny. "What information have you come up with?"

Hachi glanced around nervously, obviously concerned by the possibility of being overheard by any passersby. Fortunately, the hall was presently empty, with the majority of students eating lunch in their classrooms.

Looking only slightly less concerned, Hachi leaned in and spoke in a conspiratorial murmur. "You were right. He definitely seems to have an interest."

"Hmpf, this isn't surprising," Miroku muttered. "What else did you find out?"

His nervousness visibly increasing, Hachi leaned closer, his voice lowered to a whisper. "I followed him for a while. You were right again--all those missing copies of the film were in his possession. He must have spent hours watching them over and over."

"Hmm..." Miroku frowned, unhappily registering a sliver of concern that had found its way through a chink in his mental armor.

"I know it doesn't look good, Miroku, but even so, I wouldn't worry too much if I were you," Hachi looked at him earnestly, his voice closer to normal pitch. "I mean, no matter how many films he watches, there's no way he could ever fit the role as well as you do."

"Yes, well, you and I know that. Let's hope that Myouga-sensei knows it as well," Miroku quickly ran his hand through his hair, trying to diffuse the burst of anxiety that had come upon him.

Not wanting to dwell upon the possibility--slight as it was--that Myouga-sensei could give the part to someone else, Miroku allowed the voices in the classroom directly in front of him to distract him. From his vantage point next to the door of Hachi's classroom, he could see a pair of girls sitting at their desks, laughing over something.

"So... are you going to go for it?" the one with long black hair--for that was all he could see of her, given that she sat sideways in her seat with her back was faced towards him--was saying to her companion.

The other girl, whose face Miroku could see a little more clearly, nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so. I just want to see how I like it, as opposed to track."

"Really?!" the other girl leapt out of her seat in excitement. "You're really going to do it? I'm so glad!" placing her hand against her chest somewhat dramatically, she added, "I won't be nearly as intimidated by all those senior drama people if you're there too."

Her companion smiled weakly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Some of them seem like nothing could faze them, not even complex English."

Hmm... now this was interesting. Two girls he hadn't yet had the chance to scout out were conveniently, whether they knew it or not, about to throw themselves into his path. Miroku leaned forward, straining his ears to pick up the rest of their conversation.

"Tell me about it!" the first girl threw up her hands for emphasis. "Especially that one guy, the president of the club. Yuuretsu-senpai. Now there's an intimidating person!"

A loud snort from the front of the room distracted them. Miroku followed their eyes to a white-haired boy who was slouched into his desk a couple of seats in front of the black-haired girl. He narrowed his eyes in surprise. Surely that wasn't... Sesshoumaru? But it couldn't be... what would a senior like him be doing in a sophomore classroom?

"Um, Miroku?" Hachi's hesitant voice cut into his thoughts.

Raising a hand to his lips, Miroku indicated him to fall silent. With a barely audible sigh, Hachi turned towards the scene Miroku was so avidly engaged with and waited.

Miroku was slightly irritated at the interruption, for it had caused him to miss whatever the black-haired girl whispered to her companion. Both of them were now rolling their eyes at the white-haired boy, who seemed to be listening closely to whatever was being said.

Turning so that Miroku could see her profile for the first time--good, it was pretty--the black-haired girl faced her sulky classmate and said somewhat loudly, "Yuuretsu-senpai definitely seems pretty sure of himself, ne, Sango-chan? I swear he wouldn't even blink if a big earthquake were to knock out half the school in front of him."

"No kidding, Kagome-chan," replied her companion with a smirk, her eyes on the back of the white-haired guy's head.

"Feh!"

Miroku felt a small smile curve his lips. That guy's frustration was so obvious, it was rather pathetic. The girls knew it too, and were taking some subtle pleasure in harassing him. Miroku decided he liked them already.

"Sesshoumaru," the boy growled, whirling around to face Kagome, the black-haired girl, who looked somewhat bewildered by his sudden reaction, "is nothing more than a stuffy show-off. He couldn't act himself out of a paper bag!"

"Oh really?" Kagome looked askance at him. "And you, of course, would be the judge of that?"

The boy sniffed. "Feh. Anybody with eyes could figure it out," he looked at her pointedly.

Kagome's face began to rise in color at his implied insult. "It seems to me like you've got a massive case of sibling rivalry going on."

"What did you say, woman?!" in a flash, the guy was on his feet, glaring at Kagome with narrowed amber eyes.

"I believe you heard me, Inuyasha," Kagome replied loftily.

They proceeded to get into what looked like the beginning of a massive battle.

"Very interesting..." murmured Miroku.

Hachi looked up at him in surprise. "What, Miroku?"

With a smug smile, Miroku gestured at the white-haired guy. "Apparently Sesshoumaru has a brother that nobody seems knows about. This is certainly the first _I've_ ever heard of it. Well, well..." 

Hachi turned back to Inuyasha, who was now waving his arms in the air angrily. He blinked in surprise. The guy sure looked familiar, and not just because he was Sesshoumaru's brother... Realization struck him with the force of a thunderbolt. Uh oh... 

"Um, Miroku," Hachi tugged on his companion's sleeve, desperate to get his attention. 

"Sssh," Miroku waved him off. This was starting to get good. 

"You heard perfectly well what I said, Yuuretsu-_sama_," the girl called Kagome was telling Sesshoumaru's brother pointedly. Miroku was impressed with the way she'd infused dripping sarcasm into the last word. And using the -sama was definitely a nice touch. Impressive, indeed. He was going to look forward to see this girl at auditions tomorrow. 

"You got a problem with me, Kagome?" Yuuretsu Inuyasha snapped back, his hands clenching into fists at his side. 

_Oooh, interesting comeback_, thought Miroku. From the look on Kagome's face, it was obvious that she hadn't given Inuyasha permission to use her first name. Therefore, in each one's own unique way, the score was even. Miroku had to admit to himself that he could watch them for another half hour or so without losing interest--not bad at all, for non-acting types. Of course, he realized, the fact that they weren't acting at all was the real appeal to him. As an actor, and a good one at that, Miroku was constantly engaged in the study of those around him, constantly on the lookout for new emotions and reactions in the face of changing situations. Perhaps if he ever needed any material he should venture to this classroom during lunch in the future. 

So engaging were the arguing pair that it took Miroku a moment to register to weight of someone's eyes on him. Shifting his attention, he met the gaze of the girl Kagome had called Sango, who was watching him with a somewhat wary expression in her dark eyes. 

_Well isn't this a nice surprise_, he thought, pleased, _She's pretty too. And familiar, although I can't think why..._

Happy at the prospect of discovering more potential female interests, Miroku gave her his trademark smile. She, surprisingly, did nothing in response, just continued to regard him with the kind of wariness one would regard a wild animal in one's backyard. Miroku was momentarily surprised, but refused to let it show. What was going on here? There was an expression in her eyes that he couldn't figure out, and the sense of familiarity kept increasing... Where had he seen her? 

Before he had a chance to analyze further, she asked him with only the slightest touch of civility, "Is there something you need help with?" 

He blinked, thrown by her direct manner. He'd been too busy listening to the husky cadence of her voice to quickly register her words. 

Quickly recovering, as was his forté, Miroku smiled innocently at her. "No, I think not. For the present, at least," he added, infusing his voice with meaning. What kind of meaning, well, that was for her to figure out. 

_Let's see how she handles that,_ he thought smugly. 

There was a flash of emotion in her eyes--of what, he knew not, it happened so quickly--and with just the slightest edge to her voice, she replied, "Well, then I can't see much reason for you to hang around here with we kouhai. After all," she smiled slightly, "I'm sure you have much more important things to attend to." 

Oooh, very interesting. Miroku had to admit he was impressed by her delivery, despite the fact that she had also given herself away during her little speech. She recognized him from somewhere--he was certain--which explained the kouhai reference. And he knew that she was familiar, although he couldn't for the life of him place where he'd seen her. No matter--he'd have plenty of time to figure that out later. 

"Surely nothing could be more important than conversing with a lovely lady such as yourself," he allowed a touch of suggestion to enter his eyes before finishing with his most bewitching smile. Now that was magnificent, if he said so himself. He smiled inwardly, privately impressed with the exceptional delivery he'd just made with that old line. 

She looked unimpressed--however she was managing that, given that that particular line was one of his nearly fail-safe ones. With some reluctance, Miroku had to acknowledge that he had a strong one on his hands here. Of course, that would only make it all the more satisfying when she finally capitulated to his charm. Her indifference was feigned, he was sure of it, as though she was playing hard to get. Different from what he was used to, but enticing all the same. But there was something about it... 

_I've seen this same look of hers before... just yesterday..._

Ah! Now he remembered! Sango and her friend Kagome had been at the drama lunch meeting! They were the ones he'd noticed staring at him shortly after Sesshoumaru had introduced him. Not that it came as a surprise that any girl should be looking at him, but there had been something different this time, from Sango in particular. He hadn't been able to figure out just what was going on with her, since at the time it seemed that, for a moment, she had glared at him. Well, given her behavior now, he was obviously mistaken. She was just shy, that was all. And he had the remedy for that. 

"Indeed, I am more than content just standing here and observing you," he told her, pleased that the earnestness that came across was not completely feigned. It wasn't like the girl was unattractive--not at all, although even girls of lesser beauty would have made him look twice. He wasn't dead, after all. 

But Sango refused to cooperate. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, she said in a bored tone, "Suit yourself." She then looked away from him and proceeded to pull out a notebook, which she quickly became engrossed in. 

Miroku was stunned. His eyes did not deceive him: she was truly more interested in her present pursuit than in continuing the conversation. Somehow, impossibly, he had been dismissed. The signal was as clear as daylight, and as surprising as a slap in the face. What the hell was going on here? Just who did this girl think she was, anyway? Shunning the attention of a junior, and a popular, attractive one at that--what kind of game was she playing? 

So astonished was he by Sango's surprising behavior that several moments had passed before Miroku realized that Hachi had resorted to pulling on his sleeve to get his attention. 

"Miroku--" 

But Miroku wasn't ready to listen to him yet. Grabbing his arm with more force than he intended, Miroku dragged him down the hall, away from sight of the classroom where he'd been so unceremoniously dismissed. 

"Do you know that girl, Hachi?" Miroku asked, unaware of the intensity in his voice. 

Hachi picked up on it, but lacked the motivation to follow in the vein of conversation Miroku wanted. Trying hard not to appear rude, he tried to lead his friend into a different subject. "But Miroku--" 

"Answer the question please, Hachi," Miroku said, with a firm undertone that told Hachi he'd best follow the instruction. 

With an inward sigh, Hachi racked his brains for any stray memory, but came up with nothing. "I'm sorry Miroku, but she must have come from a different school or something. I don't know her personally nor do I even know of anyone named Sango." 

He studied Miroku curiously, realizing that his friend seemed uncertain--an emotion Hachi couldn't ever recall seeing him display during the three years they had been friends. 

A long, awkward silence stretched between them as Miroku tilted his head to the side and considered the situation. 

"Well," he finally said, "I suppose we'll just have to see what happens tomorrow." Still looking preoccupied, he turned on his heel and began to stride down the hall. "I'll see you later, Hachi." 

Taken aback by Miroku's sudden mood change, Hachi nearly forgot the important news he needed to give Miroku before he disappeared. 

"Miroku, wait!" 

Hearing the touch of urgency in his voice, Miroku came to a halt and glanced over his shoulder. 

Unable to wait any longer, Hachi raced over to him, praying that Miroku's reaction would be somewhat muted because of the strange conversation with that Sango girl. 

"There's one small thing I need to tell you..." 

"What, Hachi?" Miroku's tone had a slight edge of annoyance to it, a sign that he was near the limit of his patience. 

Unnerved, Hachi went on in a rush. "I just realized when we were watching them fight, that it wasn't Sesshoumaru who rented the videos--it was him instead, but I couldn't tell when I followed him, because they look so--" 

"What _are_ you talking about?" Miroku stared at him, not certain whether to be irritated or amused by Hachi's obvious discomfort over his realization. 

"Yuuretsu!" Hachi almost spat out the name. "The younger one, Inuyasha!" 

Miroku froze as the meaning of Hachi's words processed in his mind. Inuyasha, not Sesshoumaru, was the one renting every version of Much Ado that he could find in the nearby video store? How unexpected was this?

So unexpected, in fact, that Miroku wasn't sure whether he should laugh or fret over the revelation. If Inuyasha's feelings for his brother were mirrored by Sesshoumaru, then Inuyasha's apparent intention to audition for the play would be certain to piss off the latter, something Miroku definitely did not want to miss seeing. Seeing the unflappable Sesshoumaru lose his cool was a momentous event indeed. On the other hand, if the brothers' animosity was rooted over a magnificent rivalry over each brother's acting ambitions, Miroku could be in for further competition--from a quarter he'd never suspected--for the role he so desperately wanted. 

He settled for the former. "Well, that will certainly prove entertaining," he chuckled, more for Hachi's benefit than for his own. "Perhaps Sesshoumaru will be so livid to see him there that he won't be able to concentrate on any of his lines." 

Hachi only shrugged, unsure how any comment he ventured would be received.

Still chuckling to himself, Miroku said good-bye to his friend and made his way back to the stairwell. Things were only beginning to heat up, and this would not do at all. Obviously, he had his work cut out of him. On the other hand, Miroku was never one to back down from a challenge, no matter how difficult it turned out to be. If Inuyasha wanted a battle, then he would get one. After all, he couldn't be that much different from his older brother, plus he was certainly easier to read. 

Comforted by this thought, Miroku opened the door to the stairwell, and began his trek up the stairs to his classroom. 

  
  


***

  
  


11:45

Inuyasha stared at the clock, unsure whether he wanted the long minute hand to speed up or slow down. 

Today was the day. The audition was less than three hours away. He had to make up his mind once and for all. Would he go or not?

There was a strong argument either way. Of course, he'd relish the look of pure hatred Sesshoumaru would send him as soon as he realized his precious domain was not sacred only to himself. But then again, acting had never really been Inuyasha's thing. For years, his one defense against his brother was that he was not a wimpy, fruity actor. Inuyasha was strong, and he would not let people bully him around, especially his snot-faced excuse of a half-brother. But therein lay his dilemma: for really, over all these years, hadn't he been doing just that by letting Sesshoumaru's iron protection over his drama activities keep him away? 

_Damn him, anyway. Cold arrogant bastard._

Unfortunately, silently cursing his brother did not make him feel any better, as it frequently did. No, this dilemma was not going to be solved by wishing his brother to hell and avoiding the issue. Inuyasha had to make a decision, and make it soon, because the homeroom clock was not going to stop moving. 

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Inuyasha slouched further down into his seat, wishing he didn't have to be stuck in this boring class while he struggled over the decision. The fact that that Kikyou-look-a-like was sitting two seats back only irritated him further. Kagome. Feh. Even her name started with the same damn letter! What had he done to deserve this kind of punishment, anyway? 

_Worse than that, she's auditioning too. Along with her friend, Sango_, a voice inside of him pointedly reminded the rest of him. 

Inuyasha scowled, remembering the hot words he'd traded with Kagome yesterday. Such a stupid argument it was, really, but her comment about Sesshoumaru had set him off. Even now, he was only partially aware of why that was. Maybe it wasn't so much what Kagome had said, as the way she said it. Like she truly believed Sesshoumaru to be the important, powerful person he made himself out to be. For some reason, that had cut into him as powerfully as if she'd thrown a knife at him. Such a stupid thing--by reacting, he was only making Sesshoumaru look better. The dubious expression on Kagome's face was more than enough to tell him that. But he couldn't help it--her sanctimonious attitude pushed him over the edge. 

Speaking of the bitch, he could hear her whispering behind him, presumably to her little girlie pal, Sango. Given the loud drone of their math instructor, who was presently lecturing on the joys of logarithms, it was surprising he was able to hear her at all. Maybe she had gotten bolder over the past few days in talking during lessons. It certainly wasn't due to the fact that he was attuned to the sound of her voice, similar to and yet so different from Kikyou's. Not a chance in hell. 

"Ready... audition...?" 

Keh, was she talking about that again? God, that girl was obsessed. 

He heard Sango reply in the affirmative, and waited for a response from Kagome. 

"Looked over... play... night..." 

What a one-track mind she had. Although it could have been worse, and she could have talked about Sesshoumaru again. 

_Humph. Just wait till she gets to that audition and sees him in action--then she'll know there's no reason for all the fuss over him._

How gladly he would watch that spectacle! Seeing Sesshoumaru publicly humiliated, especially within the sanctity of his precious Drama Club, would more than make up for all the cold treatment he'd experienced at his brother's hands. Well, at least everything from the last year. Sesshoumaru would have to face a far worse humiliation than that for Inuyasha to call the score even. 

_But it could start..._

He could go to the audition. More than that, he could waltz in there, as uncaring as a feudal lord, and bring the house down with his magnificent acting ability. That, surely, was the best revenge he could ever exact upon his too perfect brother. Yes, he could see it all now... Sesshoumaru's face turning an unattractive shade of reddish-purple as all the students around him realized he was really a fraud; and that the brother he'd tried so hard to pretend didn't exist was actually better than he was in his own professed art. Oh, yes, Inuyasha would relish that. He'd savor the look on Kagome's face when she realized that all along he was speaking the truth, but instead she had been deceived by his brother's pretty face, cool manners and untouchable air.

But this would never happen if he didn't go. The question was, could he accept the possibility that he'd go in there and fall flat on his face? Could he stand the knowing smirks on the faces of Kagome and Sango as they whispered to each other about how big a fool he made of himself? Could he take that risk? 

A feeling of panic rose up in him momentarily. Disgusted, he quickly quelled it. That was the reaction his brother wanted him to have. Well damn it, he wasn't going to roll over and let Sesshoumaru win again. He refused to let it happen. 

Glancing quickly at the clock--which informed him that three minutes had passed since he checked last--he hoped he could hang on to his resolution by the time three o'clock rolled around. 

  
  


***

  
  
Exactly on schedule, the final bell tolled at 3 pm, signifying the end of yet another school day. 

To Sango, it felt like a death knell. 

Strange, how all her excitement from the past few days had curled up and vanished in a puff of smoke just when she thought she couldn't wait any longer for the audition. Yet, here she was, following Kagome's slightly jittery steps down the hall that led to the back of the auditorium. Back to the Green Room, where lord knew what waited for her. 

Well, that wasn't entirely true. After all, she knew that that hentai, Hinutsu Miroku, was certain to be there, no doubt convinced he was going to land the best role in the show. After her treatment of him yesterday, however, she found it unlikely that he'd waste a single second of his time trying to hassle her; something that would certainly relieve her from further shattered nerves. Thank god for small favors. If she ended up having to deal with his fake charm for another five minutes, she'd probably end up throwing something at him. And that, despite his playboy attitude, was not something Sango could afford to have happen. Whether she liked him or not, he was a senior member of the Club, plus her senpai to boot, so her treatment of him had to remain within the realms of civility. 

_Ugh, enough about him_, Sango shook her head in disgust. Just what she needed was something to push her roiling stomach over the edge. Hinutsu Miroku was not important enough to have such an effect on her. 

With more willpower than she should have needed, Sango forced herself to think of something else. The working of the audition was probably the thing that unnerved her the most. Although she didn't really know how auditions worked, she knew enough from what Myouga-sensei had said two days ago to have a vague idea. He had mentioned having people do a cold read from the script--presumably in groups, given how few monologues there were in the play. Sango only hoped that she ended up reading with someone she either liked, or didn't know. Somehow, she felt less concern over the latter than over the idea that she might be--god forbid--paired up with one of the senior drama people. Hopefully the odds would be in her favor, especially since the list of people she wished to avoid was so short. Hinutsu, of course, topped the list, although Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru was a close second. The guy was so overbearing she didn't think she'd be able to get a single one of those lines straight, no matter that she'd read the entire play cover-to-cover about ten times in the last two days. 

_Please god, let me read with Kagome or Kohaku, or even that weird glam guy before I get paired with either of those two._

Any further rumination in that vein was prevented by Kagome's voice, husky with excitement. 

"Are you ready, Sango-chan?" she asked, trying hard to keep her face composed. 

Sango plastered a brave smile on her face. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's go in." 

Holding fast to her fake smile, Sango pushed the door open, and walked into the Green Room with a feeling of fatalism. Now that she was here, there was no turning back. Things were going to run their course, and she might as well accept that inevitability. 

Despite that resolution, Sango was completely floored when they entered the room to find it completely empty. 

_Oh God..._

"Uh oh... did we screw up the day of the audition?" Kagome's whispered question mirrored her own alarm. 

Giving herself an inward shake, Sango straightened her shoulders and looked around the room. "No, I know we didn't. They must be in a different room." 

"Oh!" Kagome pointed towards a table piled with stapled printouts on the other side of the room. "Those must be the scripts!" 

Eagerly, she darted across the room. Sango was about to follow when she heard the door behind her swing open and bang against the wall with a muffled thud. 

Sango turned around to meet the azure gaze of Rakurai Hiten, the lighting designer. 

"Hello ladies," the newcomer nodded his head at them, his long black braid swishing across his back. 

"Hello Rakurai-senpai," Kagome smiled at him, obviously remembering him from the lunch meeting. 

She gestured to the table. "We were just about to pick up our scripts. Do you need one?" 

Rakurai shook his head. "Already got one, thanks." 

He smiled briefly at her, before taking off in a fast stride towards the darkened doorway at the far left side of the room. There was a small staircase in front of it, made out of the same kind of cheap wooden planks most likely used in building sets. Hiten paused halfway up the steps to look at them quizzically. 

"Are you coming?" 

Slightly flustered, Kagome answered for both of them, "Oh, yes, of course." 

Feeling pretty stupid for overlooking the obvious, the girls followed Rakurai up the small staircase and into the little theater. They were somewhat surprised to find themselves backstage, but followed Rakurai's lead onto the stage itself. Another small set of stairs (one on either side of the stage) led to the seats, where the majority of the students were assembled. As they descended the steps on the right hand side of the stage, Sango caught a glimpse of Hinutsu Miroku in the front row, looking surprisingly sober. Next to him was a small boy with owl-rimmed glasses who looked so terrified he might as well have been facing a firing squad. On the other side of Hinutsu was, of course, a giggling female, but for once he seemed unaware of her obvious interest. 

"Ne, Sango-chan, where should we sit?" Kagome's voice broke into her observations. 

Inwardly shaking herself--why had she let herself get distracted by that hentai _again_?!--Sango quickly scanned the crowd, looking for Kohaku. She quickly spotted his classmate, Naiibu Shippou, waving at them from the fourth row. 

Kagome must have seen him as well, for she began moving down the aisle. Sango was on her heels. 

"Where's Kohaku?" Sango asked Shippou as Kagome sat down next to him. 

Shippou stopped smiling at Kagome long enough to answer her. "He'll be here in a moment. Myouga-sensei asked him to run an errand for him." 

"Sou ka..." Sango nodded imperceptibly and sank down into the seat on Kagome's left. It was surprisingly soft and plush, of a much higher quality than Sango would have expected, given the theater was so small. She estimated it would seat about ninety people. 

While they waited for Kohaku to show up, Sango entertained herself by observing the people in the three rows in front of her. Most of them were nervous, although only a few of them--like that poor kid sitting next to Hinutsu--visibly showed it. However, Sango found herself most fascinated by the senior club members. Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru was seated in the farthest seat on the left side of the front row, concentrating intently on his copy of the script. Across the aisle from him in the left alcove, a pretty, cold looking young woman sat stiffly in her seat, her eyes fastened on the stage. There was something kind of strange about her--a sense of sadness mixed with quiet strength--which kept Sango's eyes glued to her for longer than she would have expected. Stranger still, the girl seemed kind of familiar, although Sango couldn't understand why. She could barely see more than the right side of the girl's head, laden with long black hair--longer than her own--tied with a wide white ribbon. 

_Hmm, odd..._

Aware that she was staring, Sango forced her gaze to shift to the right. In the seats between Yuuretsu and Hinutsu were some other people she recognized from the lunch meeting. Funjin Kouga was an unmistakable figure, especially since he was seated next to the same guys she and Kagome had seen in the auditorium on the first day of school. Obviously they were his friends; likely involved with the set design, from the rough, unkempt look of them. In the row behind them was another group of rough-looking guys, including that weird glam rock guy, Manzai Jakotsu. 

_Jeez, the types that end up in theater..._ Sango thought wryly. Whoever would have thought a bunch of guys who fell just short of looking like professional thugs would end up trying out for a Shakespeare play? Life was definitely full of surprises. 

Her attention was distracted by the entrance of the most pathetic looking boy she had ever seen. So small that he almost looked like he belonged in junior high, he had large, round eyes that bugged out of their sockets, reminding Sango of a toad. She watched in astonishment as the diminutive boy made a beeline towards Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru. 

"Sesshoumaru-senpai!" 

His voice, like the rest of his appearance, was unfortunate, bearing a grating, almost obsequious quality to it. Sango was prepared to feel sorry for him when Yuuretsu obviously ignored him, but was shocked as Sesshoumaru's elegant white head nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Eagerly, the boy raced down the stairs and deposited himself next to the senior, looking expectantly at him as if he expected some kind of order. 

_Now I've seen it all_, Sango thought, shaking her head in disbelief. 

She was interrupted from further observation by the appearance of Kohaku, who had just emerged from backstage. He smiled when he saw her, and quickly made his way down the aisle. 

"Nee-chan, you really came!" he exclaimed, smiling happily. 

"I said I would, didn't I?" Sango said defensively, although there was a twinkle in her eyes that belied her true sentiment. 

Kohaku grinned, and quickly said hello to Kagome as he squeezed past the two girls to reclaim his seat on Shippou's right. 

"Myouga-sensei wanted me to get this circulating while we're all sitting here waiting," Kohaku produced a wooden clipboard with several sheets of paper attached to it. Handing it to Shippou, he added, "You need to fill out your name, class, and years of theater experience." 

Nodding eagerly, Shippou pulled out the attached pen from underneath the metal clip and began scribbling. Sango watched him for a few moments, then decided to look at her script while she waited for the clipboard to make its way to her. 

Flipping through the script, she saw that Myouga-sensei had picked three scenes for them to read, the first of which was one of her favorites from the movie. Hopefully she'd get a chance to read for it, because it was the first exchange between Beatrice and Benedick, in Act I. She had just finished skimming it and was moving onto the next scene between Beatrice and Don Pedro from Act II, scene I, when all the chatter around her suddenly ceased. Raising her head, she spied the wizened form of Myouga-sensei crossing the stage. Expectantly, she put down the script and waited for him to speak. 

Coming to a halt at the front center part of the stage, Myouga-sensei regarded the assembled students with an approving eye. 

"Still a good number of you, I see," he said. "That's certainly encouraging." 

The students nodded assent. 

Kagome was handing the clipboard to Sango as Myouga-sensei began to speak again. "Well, since it's about five minutes till 3:15, I think we should wait till that time for any stragglers before we begin. There should be a clipboard circulating among you--" he nodded as Sango held it aloft for him to see, "--for you to fill out your name and other pertinent information. While you wait for it to come around to you, I would suggest looking over these scenes, since all of you will be reading from them at some point during the afternoon." 

With that, he turned around and departed off the right side of the stage. 

Taking his words to heart, Sango hurriedly finished scribbling her info in the clipboard and handed it off to the girl in front her. Gleefully, she delved back into her script. The shuffling of paper around her indicated that many of her classmates were doing the same thing. 

She quickly read through the second scene, which was a discussion between Don Pedro, Beatrice, and Claudio, during the party thrown for the newly arrived lords by Leonato, the master of the house. The third scene was from Act IV, during the fateful wedding scene when Claudio accused Hero (Leonato's daughter and Beatrice's cousin) of infidelity and all hell broke loose. The excerpt of that scene mostly comprised the accusation by Claudio and Don Pedro, with Hero and the Friar protesting in defense. All in all, it was a great selection, displaying a wide range of emotion as well as providing the opportunity for multiple people to audition at once. Given the set-up, Sango imagined it wouldn't take more than two hours for everyone to audition all three scenes. There were only about thirty people in the room right then, and the chances of more than two or three people coming in late were pretty slim. 

Returning her attention to the room, Sango saw that Myouga-sensei had returned to his spot center stage. He cleared his throat for attention. 

"All right students, we'll begin the auditions now." 

He looked down at the students in the front row, "Are you all finished with the clipboard?" 

The pensive girl Sango had been studying earlier swiftly got to her feet, clipboard in hand. Stepping into the aisle, she quickly made her way onto the stage and handed Myouga-sensei the clipboard. 

"Thank you...?" he looked questioningly at the girl. 

"Kyoushi. Kyoushi Kikyou," the girl replied in a soft voice. 

"Ah," he nodded his head, and Kikyou turned around to return to her seat. 

At the mention of the name, Sango impulsively turned to look at Kagome, who had been struck by the same realization. 

"Ne, Kagome-chan, do you suppose that's the Kikyou that Yuuretsu mistook you for?" Sango hissed at Kagome. 

Kagome looked uncertain. "I don't know. It's not a common name, but it isn't uncommon either. For some reason, though, I can't imagine it could be her. She just doesn't... look right." 

Sango snickered. "You mean, you can't imagine a girl that serious and attractive being involved with someone as violent and foul-tempered as Yuuretsu Inuyasha." 

Kagome frowned, "I don't know about that. I mean, as unpleasant as Inuyasha is, he isn't unattractive." 

Sango's brows arched in disbelief as the comment registered. 

Feeling a flush spreading over her cheeks, Kagome hurried to defend herself. "Well think about it, Sango-chan. Inuyasha has that dangerous, mysterious look that a lot of girls find appealing. For all we know, Kikyou--if she is the same one Inuyasha was referring to that day--could go for that kind of guy." 

"Hmpf, that's unlikely, isn't it?" Sango replied, glancing at the silent figure in the front left row. 

Kagome's reply died on her lips as--speak of the Devil--the man himself appeared on the stage. 

"What's he doing here?" Sango hissed at her, looking as shocked as Kagome felt. 

Their astonishment only increased as they watched Inuyasha lock eyes with his brother. Even though Kagome couldn't see Sesshoumaru's face, she could just imagine what kind of look was passing between them. As they stared each other down, she had to admit that the animosity Inuyasha had expressed towards his brother at lunch the other day seemed to be mutual. Seeing them now, she realized she had been wrong when she had dismissed Inuyasha's snide remarks as the product of simple sibling rivalry. It had to be deeper than that. She could practically see the resentment, as if it were a palpable thing in the air. Moreover, for the first time since she met him, Inuyasha looked dangerous. The glint in his eye was hard, like cold steel, as he looked steadily at his brother, challenging him. From the stiff set of his shoulders, Kagome could see that Sesshoumaru was furious. She unconsciously held her breath, waiting for the first blow to fall. 

Inuyasha, surprisingly, was the one who broke off the eye contact. With a deepening scowl on his face, he took another step forward, sweeping his eyes over the room. And promptly froze in place, an expression of utter shock on his face. 

Stunned, Kagome followed his gaze to the left corner of the room, to Kyoushi Kikyou, who returned Inuyasha's regard with an icy stare. 

Inuyasha's mouth worked a moment as he struggled for something to say. As she watched with a kind of fascinated guilt, Kagome was struck by the mixture of emotions flitting across his face: shock, anger, pain. The last of these surprised her the most, especially for the strong responding emotion it kicked up in her. Pity. Concern for Inuyasha's feelings. Embarrassment for the awkward situation that everyone was watching as intently as they watched their teachers administering an exam. 

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but Myouga-sensei's voice broke in before he could utter a syllable. 

"Well, well, this is a nice surprise, Inuyasha," he smiled kindly at him. 

Sango and Kagome gaped at Myouga-sensei's easy use of Inuyasha's name. How on earth did Myouga-sensei know who he was, especially since the rivalry with Sesshoumaru had most likely kept Inuyasha away from all his high school theater productions? Things had gone from strange to downright bizarre in a matter of minutes. 

Myouga-sensei continued in a tone that would have sounded perfectly at home on a TV weatherman. "I would prefer that you had been a few minutes earlier, but that can't be helped, I suppose," Gesturing towards the darkened theater, he added, "Please take a seat so we can get started." 

Inuyasha looked at him in momentary surprise, then with a loud snort, walked off the stage. He stalked down the aisle without another look at Kikyou, who had averted her face to the right, and collapsed into a seat directly across the aisle from Sango. His face seemed frozen in a permanent scowl as his eyes bore into the back of Kikyou's head, which was positioned exactly three rows in front of him. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Sango noticed Kagome watching Inuyasha with the same intensity that he himself exuded while staring at Kikyou. 

_What an unexpected turn of events... Who could have imagined that the whole Kikyou thing would be explained in such a dramatic way, right in the middle of the Drama Club auditions_? Sango thought, shaking her head in wonder. _No wonder Kagome is so curious. After all, Inuyasha did mistake her for Kikyou._

Sango's gaze quickly shifted to the woman in question. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she frowned, wondering how Inuyasha could have made such an obvious mistake. Surely their hair itself was enough to set Kagome and Kikyou apart. Kagome's hair, while boasting the same lovely black sheen as Kikyou's, had to be at least six inches shorter, not to mention thicker with soft waves. From a distance, perhaps, their figures could be considered the same, but the hair was such an obvious difference... 

_But Inuyasha still thought she was Kikyou, even up close, looking into her face..._

Sango stared hard at Kikyou's partial profile, wishing the girl would turn her head to the right to give Sango a better view. Well, she supposed that the nose was the same, but so many Japanese women had the same shape nose it shouldn't count as a significant factor of similarity. The skin tone was also similar, for the same reasons. Perhaps the shape of the face was similar enough to confuse Inuyasha, but that didn't seem to make much sense either. It's not like the two women were twins! 

She was distracted from her observations by Myouga-sensei, who had begun to explain the audition process. Her interest successfully diverted, Sango fastened her eyes upon the director, her heart speeding up with anticipation. 

"...So we will begin by having everyone read from the first scene printed in your script excerpts. I will call your names at random, and you will read the selection. After everyone has finished reading the first scene, we'll move to the second, and finally to the third. If people follow instructions quickly, we should hopefully be out of here in just over an hour. The cast list will be posted tomorrow, on the bulletin board in the Green Room," pausing for breath, Myouga-sensei quickly surveyed the room, his eyes managing to meet those of every student present. "Very well, I will begin to call names. I hardly need to tell the rest of you to sit quietly and observe the proceedings." 

Myouga-sensei turned his attention to the clipboard of student info. 

"Funjin Kouga," he looked up and nodded at his Club officer. "You will be reading the role of Benedick." 

Funjin Kouga quickly got to his feet, his face split in a big grin at the honor of being asked to go first. He made his way onto the stage as Myouga-sensei read off the next name. 

"Tsuraate Kagura will be reading the role of Beatrice." 

Sango watched as an elegant girl with expressive red eyes and dark hair swept up into an elaborate ponytail rose from her seat in the second row. As she made her way onto the stage, Funjin Kouga eyed her warily. Blatantly ignoring his regard, Tsuraate positioned herself about five feet away from him and focused all her attention on the script in her hands. 

Myouga-sensei called the names of two more people to read for the parts of Don Pedro and Leonato, each of whom had a few lines before the main Beatrice/Benedick exchange. The students arranged themselves in a half circle facing the audience and waited patiently until Myouga-sensei had settled into a seat in the front row to observe the proceedings before beginning. 

The scene lasted only a few minutes. Sango was surprised when it finished, for she had been fairly caught up in the magic of hearing such language spoken aloud. Admittedly, Tsuraate had sounded a bit cold in her lines, and the boy who had read as Don Pedro stumbled so much over the English that Sango couldn't help cringing each time he opened his mouth. She was, however, pleasantly surprised by how well Funjin had read his part. From his rough appearance, one would have easily believed him capable only of sounding tough and arrogant. It was comforting to see that at least one person was capable of delivering the lines in a way that wasn't insulting to the play's creator. 

At the conclusion of their scene, the four students looked at Myouga-sensei for leave to exit the stage. At his nod, they filed down the small steps and returned to their seats. Myouga-sensei then called the next four names, including Kohaku and a guy named Houjou that Kagome seemed to recognize. The reading process was quickly repeated, and Sango found herself starting to relax. 

This wasn't going to be as bad as she had thought. She would be onstage with at least two other people for each scene, so the paralyzing fear of standing up there alone would not be a factor. Moreover, Sango was comforted by the fact that very few of the people who had gone so far, with the exception of Funjin Kouga and Kohaku, had read the English all that well. Compared to some of these people, she would sound like a pro. The relief she felt at that probably should have made her feel guilty--and very well might, once the audition was over--but for now she took comfort in it. 

She beamed at Kohaku as he made his way back to his seat, grinning widely at her. Shippou gave him a slap on the back as he sat down, and Kagome gave him an impressed smile. Sango felt pride swell in her bosom for her little brother, who was so much more talented than he ever gave himself credit for. She hoped he got a part in the play, even if it was just a small one. For a thirteen-year-old freshman, that would be quite an accomplishment. 

Sango hardly paid attention to the next group that read, especially since she knew none of the students. The following group grabbed her attention, however--Kyoushi Kikyou was called to read the role of Beatrice, along with the weird glam guy (reading Don Pedro), and a tall senior named Ikiryou Naraku as Benedick. As Kyoushi positioned herself on stage, Sango took the opportunity to study her face in more detail, now that all of it was visible to her. 

_Hmm, I suppose there is some similarity to Kagome after all..._ she decided, _but she is so emotionless, she almost reminds me of a mechanical doll. What a unlikely match for Yuuretsu Inuyasha!_

As Kyoushi began to read, however, Sango was amazed by the transformation in her personality. Emotion flowed out of her as she exchanged barb after verbal barb with Ikiryou. Despite the occasional stumble over a particularly difficult English word, Kyoushi was by far the best Beatrice they had seen at this point. Ikiryou Naraku was surprisingly good as well; possessed of a deep, commanding bass voice that resonated throughout the room. For some strange reason, though, Sango found herself slightly disconcerted by him, although she couldn't for the life of her understand what provoked such a reaction in her. 

All too quickly, the scene ended, and as the students filed back to their seats, Myouga-sensei began to call out the next four names. 

"Naiibu Shippou!" 

With a nervous grin, Shippou got to his feet and made his way to the front of the theater. 

"Kachiki Sango!" 

Startled at hearing her name called, Sango almost leapt to her feet. Her heart speeding up ridiculously, she smiled quickly at Kagome and Kohaku before making her way to the stage. Shippou was smiling happily at her as she approached--obviously relieved to be reading with someone he knew. She could hardly blame his relief, for she felt the same way herself. As she stepped on the wooden floor of the stage, however, she heard a name that made her heart freeze in her chest. 

"Hinutsu Miroku!" 

_Oh god, no..._

Sango couldn't keep herself from staring as Hinutsu smoothly got to his feet and made his way across the front row to the steps on the right side of the stage. So horrified was she at the prospect of having to read with him that she didn't even hear the name of the last student called. Hinutsu stepped onto the stage and walked slowly towards her, a slow smile spreading across his lips as he recognized her. She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him as his gaze traveled from her face down the rest of her body, obviously sizing up her potential. 

_Why that-- that hentai!!!_ she seethed inwardly, even as her cheeks began to flame. How _dare_ he look at her as if she were-- well, no more than a piece of meat in a market stall! 

A cold rage settled in her stomach. That self-conceited playboy was just inches from a slap across the face if he stared at her chest for a second longer. As if sensing the tenor of her thoughts, Hinutsu's lavender gaze moved upwards, meeting her angry eyes. She glared at him coldly, hating him for the shameful way he'd just made her feel. A look of surprise fleeted across his face at the pure animosity with which she regarded him. Almost instantaneously, his features settled into an icy mask, and he returned her unspoken challenge with a thin smile. 

Myouga-sensei's next words only heightened Sango's sense of offended dignity. "Naiibu will be reading the part of Don Pedro. Kachiki, you will read Beatrice, and Hinutsu will read Benedick." 

Hinutsu obviously liked his assignment, for he flashed Sango a smugly insolent smile. She knew what the message behind that was: let's see how well you handle this, novice. Self-absorbed jerk. Well, if he thought he could trounce over her in this reading, he was badly mistaken. She would _not_ let him gain the upper hand, even if it killed her. 

Her pulse pounding in her head, Sango waited for Shippou to begin. 

"Good Signior Leonato," Shippou stumbled over the second word and began to blush. To his credit, however, he continued on without more than a moment's hesitation. "You are come to/ meet your trouble. The fashion of the world is to/ avoid cost, and you encounter it." 

The boy assigned to read Leonato cleared his throat loudly, and answered in halting English. "Never came trouble to my house in the/ likeness of your Grace; for trouble being gone,/ comfort should remain, but when you depart from/ me, sorrow abides and happiness takes his leave." 

Sango glanced at Hinutsu, unsurprised to see an almost disgusted look leaving his face as the hapless boy practically coughed out his last lines. 

_You think you're so great, don't you, having to read alongside such amateurs. Well, I'm going to give you a run for your money, you obnoxious actor._

Shippou spoke again, a little more confidently this time, but still obviously struggling with some of the English. "You embrace your charge too willingly,/ I think this is your daughter." 

Leonato replied, "Her mother hath many times told me."

Fixing her gaze on Hinutsu, Sango watched as his features transformed into the smiling, unctuous expression of a man that obviously felt pleased with himself; and had every intention of letting everyone else around him know it. 

"Were you in doubt, sir, that you asked her?" he asked, leaning in towards Leonato with a teasing look in his eyes. 

Pausing for just a moment too long, Leonato said, "Signior Benedick, no, for then were you a/ child." 

By now, Sango had to admit that the distaste Hinutsu had briefly expressed over the boy's reading ability was justified. He read so haltingly and slowly that it was nearly impossible to maintain the rhythm and emotion that made Shakespeare so engaging. Why on earth was he here if he could barely pronounce even the most basic of English words? 

Her frustration rising, Sango waited for Shippou to speak again. 

"You have it full, Benedick. We may/ guess by this what you are, being a man. Truly, the/ lady fathers herself. Be happy, lady, for you are/ like an honorable father." 

Hinutsu quickly leapt into his next line, recovering that rhythm which had been so dearly lacking. Sango resolved to follow his lead when her turn came; no way in hell would she let Hinutsu dominate the show. 

With a hearty chuckle, Hinutsu smiled at Leonato. "If Signior Leonato be her father, she would/ not have his head on her shoulders for all Messina/ as like him as she is." 

Fixing him with a pointed stare, Sango said in a lofty voice, "I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior/ Benedick. Nobody marks you." she looked down her nose at him as the words left her mouth, and was rewarded by a flash of irritation in his lavender eyes. 

Fixing his gaze on her, Hinutsu favored her with a condescending smile that bordered on disdain. Sango felt her hackles rise as his self-assured voice entered her ears. 

"What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?" he looked at her as if she were an underclassman that had just spoke out of turn. 

Sniffing in disgust, Sango threw his insult back at him. "Is it possible Disdain should die while she/ hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick?" she fixed him with a steady gaze, daring him to try and best her. "Courtesy itself must convert to disdain if you come/ in her presence," she finished with a smug smile. 

Her smile widened as she saw Hinutsu visibly stiffen at her words. He quickly rallied, however, and favored her with an equally smug smile of his own. "Then is courtesy a turncoat," he said, waving his hand airily as if she were no more consequential than a gnat buzzing around his face. "But it is/ certain that I am loved of _all_ ladies," at this he looked quite pleased with himself, "only you excepted. And/ I would I could find in my heart that I had not a/ hard heart," he continued, arrogance practically dripping from his words, "for truly I love none." 

Sango raised her eyebrow at him, and gazed at him with an equal dose of arrogance. "A dear happiness to women," she drawled, deliberately drawing out the words to rise his ire. "They would/ else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor." Switching her tone to one almost dismissive, she added, "I/ thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor/ for that." Pausing dramatically, Sango fixed her gaze on Hinutsu's slightly pinched face, and said clearly, "I had rather hear my dog bark at a/ crow, than a man swear he loves me." 

Hinutsu smiled patronizingly at her and replied smoothly, "God keep your ladyship still in that mind!/ So some gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate/ scratched face." 

Affronted by the sly, bordering on nasty, edge he'd infused his words with, Sango practically spat out the next words. "Scratching could not make it worse an/ 'twere such a face as yours were," she finished with a triumphant look in her dark eyes. 

Hinutsu's tone switched from irritation to disdain. "Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher." 

"A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours," Sango retorted with an angry glare. 

Hinutsu merely smiled condescendingly before waving a dismissive hand at her. "I would my horse had the speed of your/ tongue, and so good a continuer." He elaborately rolled his eyes, finished with a battle he obviously deemed a waste of his time. "But keep your way,/ i' God's name, I have done." 

He finished his line with a self-dignified tilt of his head, his body language oozing satisfaction at having gotten the last word. Sango glowered at him, wishing she could shove that insufferable conceit down his throat. 

"You always end with a jade's trick," she muttered scornfully, her face forming in a deep scowl. "I know you of old." 

Silence followed her last line, but Sango hardly noticed. She was too busy glaring at Hinutsu, who returned her regard with an air of superiority, as if she were an errant child throwing a tantrum. 

The room froze, and hardly anyone dared to breathe as the two verbal combatants stared each other down, neither willing to admit defeat. 

After a long, tense moment, someone in the audience--perhaps Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru, who was seated closest to the stage--loudly cleared his throat. As the sound echoed across the stage, Sango realized with a jolt that the scene had technically ended a minute ago, but neither she or Hinutsu had seemed to notice; being so wrapped up in their battle of wills. Now painfully aware that everyone in the room was staring at them in a mixture of wonder and confusion, she blushed deeply and broke her gaze from Hinutsu (but not before she saw a rush of embarrassment flood his features as he made the same realization she had). 

Suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of remorse, Sango fastened her eyes on the floor, not ready to face the inquisitive expressions of the other students. All that nervous energy that had empowered her so intensely during the scene left her in a rush, leaving Sango feeling deflated and exhausted. Was this how all actors felt after a particularly stirring scene on-stage? If so, Sango wasn't sure she liked the feeling of let down now that it was over. 

Myouga-sensei, in the meantime, was scribbling madly in a little notebook he'd balanced on top of the clipboard. At this point, Sango found she was too drained to care whether the things he wrote down were positive or negative. All she wanted was to sit down and forget the whole thing. 

After a moment, Myouga-sensei looked up from his notes, and nodded at them. His face betrayed no emotion as he dismissed them, "Very nicely done. Now, I would like Higurashi Kagome to come up and read the part of Beatrice. Next for Benedick is Zokushou Bankotsu..." 

Sango didn't hear the rest of his words as she practically leapt off the stage and hurried down the aisle. As she passed Kagome, who was making her way up to the stage, her friend gave her a look that comprised of both admiration and understanding. Not ready to dissect the meaning behind the look, Sango gave her a tired smile, hoping it looked encouraging, and practically collapsed into her seat. She clasped her hands in her lap and stared at them in a daze. She became aware of Kohaku's inquiring gaze, along with a series of curious looks from the students close by, but she lacked the energy to acknowledge them. 

The next ten minutes flew by for her in a blur. Kagome quickly read her part, came back, and--seeing her friend's unchanged expression--sat quietly at her side, a supportive, undemanding presence. About half of the students present had read the second scene before Sango broke out of her weird funk. 

Kagome must have noticed her return to the conscious world, for she leaned in with a smile, obviously wanting to talk. 

"Wow," Kagome's voice sounded almost reverent. "That was an amazing reading you did, Sango-chan. You and Hinutsu were fantastic." 

"I suppose..." Sango said lamely, not really wishing to discuss Hinutsu or her highly charged reaction to him in front of the whole assembly. She was still feeling naked and vulnerable to everyone's probing eyes, and a rehash of the scene in her head was not going to help matters. 

Obviously aware of her jumbled feelings, Kagome did not press the issue. "Ne, Sango-chan, what did you think of Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru's rendition of Benedick in the first scene?" 

Sango shrugged, not wanting to admit that she'd been so embroiled in her own thoughts that she had totally missed it. 

"I'm not sure if I liked his version or Hinutsu Miroku's better," Kagome continued. "Although you were the best Beatrice by far, Sango-chan. No one even came close to you." 

"Arigatou, Kagome-chan," Sango mumbled. 

Kagome looked like she was about to say something else, when her name was called for the second scene reading. 

"Time to go, wish me luck, Sango-chan!" she whispered, getting to her feet. 

"You have it, although you don't need it, Kagome-chan," Sango's smile was the first genuine one since before the audition began. 

Her eyes followed Kagome into the aisle, and stopped on Inuyasha across the aisle, who was watching Kagome's progress intently. Sango raised her eyebrows in surprise. 

_Now that's interesting. Why is Yuuretsu watching Kagome like that?_

She was distracted from further thought by Shippou--whose name had just been called--trying to politely move past her into the main aisle. Giving him a cheerful smile, Sango moved her knees to the side so he could pass more easily. As he made his way onto the stage, it struck Sango as fortunate that the somewhat immature freshman had ended up reading scenes with at least one person he knew. In contrast, Kohaku had had to read with mostly juniors and seniors--people that even she didn't know. 

Watching the stage, Sango noticed that Kagome seemed to know another one of the people there--that guy who she had recognized when he did his first reading. What was his name... ah yes, Houjou. He seemed nice enough, from this distance at least. He was giving Kagome an encouraging smile as Myouga-sensei spoke up, assigning the roles. Once again, Kagome was Beatrice (being that Beatrice was the only female character in this scene as well), and her friend Houjou was reading against her as Don Pedro. Curious, Sango leaned back in her seat to watch the proceedings. 

Kagome read well--the English was close to flawless. Houjou seemed a little too cheerful throughout the majority of his lines, but his English was also pretty decent. Even Shippou had done a little better with the English during his read of Claudio. Overall, Sango was fairly impressed with the scene, being one of the better ones she'd seen read. Of course, none of the senior drama people had gone up yet, so that was certain to change. Still, Kagome did well, and Sango hoped she got a part, since god knew she deserved one. 

The scene finished, and Myouga-sensei dismissed the students onstage. Sango watched Kagome get off the stage alongside Houjou, who had leaned in to tell her something. She smiled happily in response, and Sango guessed that he had congratulated her on a great performance. 

Off to her left, she heard a faint snort from Inuyasha's direction. 

_Don't tell me he's watching that too..._ Sango thought, bemused. She turned her head slowly, taking pains not to alert Inuyasha to her regard, and practically smirked when she saw him scowling in Kagome's direction. 

_I wonder, is that scowl for Kagome or for Houjou?_ Sango wondered, still amused by the situation. _Perhaps Inuyasha is confusing Kagome a bit _too_ much with Kikyou if he really is scowling at Houjou for just giving her a compliment. What a weirdo._

She was prevented from further observation by the sound of her name being called. Myouga-sensei seemed to have funny timing, pitting her and Kagome back-to-back twice in a row. No matter, better to be done with it so she could head back and talk with Kagome uninterrupted. 

Smiling at Kohaku's proffered thumbs up, Sango got to her feet and walked into the aisle. Glancing at the stage, she felt her stomach plunge to her knees at the sight of Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru calmly standing there. Great--out of everyone in this room, she ended up reading with the two she least wanted to be grouped with. Figures that fate would decide to give her a bad turn today. Well, best to hurry up there and get it over with. 

Sango passed Kagome in the aisle for the second time, again with a look of consternation on her face. A little concerned by Sango's mood swing, Kagome glanced up at the stage, wondering if it was Hinutsu's presence that had set off such a reaction in her. 

_Oh... Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru. No wonder Sango looks edgy..._

Returning to her seat, Kagome pondered at her friend's bad luck. First Hinutsu, then the elder Yuuretsu. Poor Sango was probably wondering if Myouga-sensei was deliberately trying to undo her. If it had been she who was paired with both of them, Kagome knew that she would feel just as nervous. 

This time, Sesshoumaru was reading as Don Pedro. Kagome couldn't keep herself from glancing over at Inuyasha, to see how he was reacting to his brother's luck at being asked to read two major parts twice. Instead, she was astonished to find Inuyasha's eyes on her, an unreadable expression in their amber depths. 

"Uhh..." she stammered, at a complete loss on how to react. 

Realizing he had just been caught, Inuyasha hurriedly averted his gaze, but not before Kagome saw a tinge of pink crossing his cheeks. 

_What was _that_ about?_ she asked herself, bewildered. _Is he still angry at me for something? But he doesn't really look angry... nor does he really look happy either. Oh jeez..._

Stupid baka. She wasn't one to hold grudges for past behavior--even behavior as bad as Inuyasha's a few days ago--but this was beyond weird. She wished he'd go back to sulking at Kikyou's back; his regard made her uncomfortable. 

Not wanting to dwell on Inuyasha any further, Kagome returned her attention to the stage. Sesshoumaru had begun reading, greeting the hurt Claudio, who believed he had just been betrayed by said lord. Claudio responded coldly, and Sesshoumaru looked askance at him, uncertain where the change in his friend's behavior had come from. Here Sango stepped in, making the observation that the Count was neither sad nor sick nor well, but instead jealous. Kagome blinked in confusion, surprised by Sango's vastly diminished performance. Gone was the haughty, proud Beatrice of the first scene, and in her place was something almost tentative, a mere shadow of the first. 

_What is wrong with Sango?_ Kagome frowned, worry for her friend overriding her interest in the scene. _This performance is so toned down from the first that it's almost like she's a totally different person._

For some reason, her eyes shifted to a slender figure in the front row, wondering if he was a factor in the equation. Hinutsu Miroku was watching the scene before him with a furrowed brow, apparently as struck by the difference in Sango's performance as Kagome was. 

_Could it be... could it be that Sango completely let herself go _because_ of Hinutsu? If so, what does that mean...?_

From the moment he was introduced in the Drama Club lunch meeting, Kagome had noticed that something about Hinutsu Miroku had immediately set Sango off. Her dislike was so quickly founded it had almost left Kagome reeling. Sure, it was true that the guy was a total flirt who believed all women would adore him, but that shouldn't have been enough to elicit such a reaction in her friend. Still, who knew? Everyone was different, of course, and maybe Sango had some reason for abhorring playboys. 

_Regardless of all that, however, Hinutsu was, through the role of Benedick, able to pull her out of her shell. I never knew Sango could be so passionate and emotional before I saw her onstage. Why did she allow him to get to her if she dislikes him so much? Not like it was a bad thing, given the result, but still... it's strange._

If by sheer luck, both of them managed to land a part, Kagome vowed to herself to keep an eye on Sango and Hinutsu, just to see what happened. Something was certainly going on, although the sparks that were being set off were not in the direction Hinutsu probably would have liked. 

Speaking of Hinutsu... Kagome glanced over at him again, unsurprised to see his eyes riveted on Sango as she prepared to leave the stage, her scene now over. On his face was a mixture of confusion and something else... something she couldn't find a better word than "interest" to describe. A sort of frowning interest, the way one might regard something they found both repellent and attractive at the same time. 

_This is only going to get more and more complicated, I bet._

She abandoned her train of thought as Sango collapsed into her seat beside her. Studying her blank face, Kagome debated whether Sango was in a conversational mood. 

"Ne, Sango-chan... are you okay?" she asked in a whisper. 

Sango smiled weakly. "Hai. Don't look so worried Kagome-chan," she added at the unconvinced look on Kagome's face. "I'm fine. Just exhausted from all the anxiety." 

Kagome nodded sympathetically. "I can completely relate to that. Although it had to be worse for you, seeing as how you had to read with both Hinutsu and Yuuretsu." 

Sango visibly stiffened at the mention of Hinutsu's name--interesting, Kagome thought--but quickly brushed it off. "Well, I suppose he was the perfect choice for a Benedick I would get pissed off at." 

Kagome smiled in agreement, but her mind was busy pondering over the meaning Sango's words. 

_She focused instantly on Hinutsu again, even though I mentioned Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru's name as well. Hmmm..._

Sango's next words completely surprised her. Leaning in, she whispered in Kagome's ear, "Ne, Kagome-chan, do you realize that Inuyasha is staring at you?" 

Kagome couldn't repress a groan. "Again?!" 

Sango quirked a brow. "Oh, so you've noticed?" 

Slightly unnerved at her friend's perception, Kagome asked, "What do you think his problem is?" 

Sango shrugged. "Beats me. I can't imagine his still being mad at you for what you said yesterday, even though you were right on the mark about the whole sibling rivalry. Maybe he just likes having someone to stare at." 

Kagome scowled. "Well, I wish he'd stick to Kikyou. He makes me all nervous when he looks at me." 

Sango looked at her appraisingly. "Well, maybe he's trying to reevaluate his original opinion of you. After all, you didn't exactly get off to a great start with him." 

"Thanks to his thinking I was Kikyou, even when I told him I wasn't!" Kagome added, a touch of vehemence to her voice. 

At Sango's raised eyebrows, she hurried to explain herself. "I'm not really mad about that, Sango-chan. It was an honest mistake, I guess. I mean, Kikyou and I sort of look alike, from what I can tell." 

Sango was silent, waiting for her to continue. 

Kagome sighed, "I guess what frustrates me the most about the whole situation is that Inuyasha's treatment of me even after he learned I wasn't Kikyou hasn't been very respectful. I mean, I'm not her, and yes, I got irritated at him when he wouldn't acknowledge that he made a mistake with me, but still... he acts like he's just as mad at me as he is at her." 

Sango nodded. "Yeah, I guess he could be doing that. I just figured he was upset because you made him look like such an idiot that first day," she started to chuckle a little. 

Kagome smiled halfheartedly, but wasn't ready to laugh about it yet. A few days, maybe, then she'd find it amusing. For now, she just wanted to forget about the whole thing.

Their conversation mostly over, Kagome waited as the students onstage reached the end of their scene. Somewhat belatedly, she realized it was the third scene they had just read, and inwardly chided herself for not paying more attention. After all, she could end up being called anytime, and she wanted to be ready for-- 

"Higurashi Kagome!" 

_So much for being prepared_, Kagome thought with an inward sigh. 

Getting to her feet, she walked into the aisle, deliberately averting her gaze from where Inuyasha was sitting. 

"Aryuu Hachi!" 

She looked up on stage and saw with astonishment that her gesture was wasted: Inuyasha stood on the stage, staring at her as if she were some kind of road kill. 

_Great. Sango gets Hinutsu to deal with and I get Inuyasha. Myouga-sensei must really have it in for us..._

"Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru!" 

Kagome nearly fell flat on her face. He couldn't be serious. Yuuretsu Inuyasha _and_ Sesshoumaru on the stage at once?! My god, they would probably kill each other before five lines were spoken. Oh why did she have to get put in the middle of it? 

Sesshoumaru, by privilege of his position right next to the stairs, was already onstage by the time she got to the stairs. Inuyasha had ceased looking at her and was instead glaring daggers at his brother, who looked as if he'd swallowed sour milk. Sesshoumaru had positioned himself at the far side of the stage, to the left from where Kagome stood, while Inuyasha had backed off to the right. In the middle was a small pudgy boy with horn-rimmed glasses and tousled hair, looking terrified. Kagome felt sorry for him, but wasn't sure if she wanted to join him in the center of all that sibling animosity. 

_Get a grip on yourself, Kagome!_ she berated herself. _It's not like they're going to kill each other on stage. Besides, if they won't act their ages, someone's got to, and it might as well be you._

Fueled with new determination, Kagome strode confidently to the center of the stage and positioned herself. She'd show those two what maturity was, even if it got her maimed for her efforts. 

Myouga-sensei either hadn't noticed the reactions of the brothers (which were so obvious he'd have to be blind not to see it) or had chosen to overlook it. Looking them over, he said, "Inuyasha will be reading the part of Claudio. Sesshoumaru will be reading Don Pedro. Aryuu will be Leonato, and Higurashi will be Hero." 

Taking a deep breath, Kagome looked down at her script and gathered up her focus. She, at least, would knock the socks off of Myouga-sensei by her dignified performance, regardless of what those two idiots on either side of her did. If only Inuyasha would hurry up and start, since his first line would determine how the rest of the scene should sound, provided he read well. 

There was a pause as Inuyasha seemed to collect himself. Kagome was near the breaking point when his voice, full of outrage mixed with pain, bellowed across the stage. 

"There, Leonato, take her back again!" Inuyasha looked directly at Kagome, his eyes full of anger. Kagome felt something strange twist inside of her at his look. This look, she had seen it before... when he thought she was Kikyou that day... 

"Give not this rotten orange to your friend,/ she's but the sign and semblance of her honor." His eyes bore into hers, making her want to shrink back and defend herself. "Behold how like a maid she blushes here!/ Oh, what authority and show of truth/ can cunning sin cover itself withal!" 

His face pinched with pain, Inuyasha turned to implore the other two men as he said, "Comes not that blood as modest evidence/ to witness simple virtue? Would you not swear,/ all that you see her, that she were a maid," he gestured roughly towards her, "By these exterior shows?" 

Returning his attention to Kagome--who wasn't sure if she wanted to wither under his gaze or turn his anger right back on him--Inuyasha said harshly, "But she is none./ She knows the heat of a luxurious bed." 

Kagome couldn't keep from flushing at the cruel tone and implication he was flinging at her. Those words hurt, even though they weren't directed at her. Is this how he would confront Kikyou? 

"Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty," Inuyasha spat, looking at her as if she were the meanest thing on Earth. 

Aryuu Hachi, befitting what seemed to be his own personality, said somewhat dazedly, "What do you mean, my lord?" 

Inuyasha looked like he wanted to rush across the stage and shake some sense into him. "Not to be married,/ not to knit my soul to an approved wanton." 

Hachi looked stunned. His face colored a little with his next words. "Dear my lord, if you, in your own proof,/ have vanquished the resistance of her youth,/ and made defeat of her virginity--" 

Inuyasha angrily interrupted him. "I know what you would say," he looked steadily at Hachi, who blanched under his gaze. Next to him, Sesshoumaru looked on, unmoved. "If I had/ known her,/ you will say she did embrace me as a husband,/ and so extenuate the 'forehand sin./ No, Leonato," at this, his voice almost seemed to falter as he turned to look at her. Kagome wanted to cry at that look in his eyes. "I never tempted her with word too large,/ But, as a brother to his sister, showed/ bashful sincerity and comely love." 

Wounded by the look combined with his harsh words, Kagome cried out, "And seemed I everwise to you?!" 

For a moment, Inuyasha's eyes softened. Kagome was amazed by the way her stomach wrenched in response. "You seem to me as Dian in her orb,/ as chaste as is the bud ere it be blown." Suddenly, his eyes flared with anger again, and his body stiffened with disgust. "But you are more intemperate in your blood/ than Venus, or those pampered animals/ that rage in savage sensuality." 

Torn between torment and anger, Kagome exclaimed, "Is my lord well, that he doth speak so wide?" 

Hachi, bewildered beyond comprehension, turned timidly to Sesshoumaru, who looked coldly distant. "Sweet Prince, why speak not you?" 

In the coldest voice Kagome had ever heard, Sesshoumaru replied, "What should I speak?/ I stand dishonored, that have gone about/ to link my dear friend to a common stale."

Hachi looked like he was about to faint. "Are these things spoken, or do I but dream?"

Inuyasha jumped into the fray. "Leonato, stand I here?/ Is this the Prince? Is this the Prince's brother?/ Is this face Hero's? Are our eyes our own?" 

Hachi stared at him, looking mystified. "All this is so, but what of this, my lord?"

Inuyasha turned to Kagome, an intense expression on his face. "Let me but move one question to your daughter,/ and by that fatherly and kindly power/ that you have in her, bid her answer truly." 

Turning to look at Kagome helplessly, Hachi answered, "I charge thee to do so, as thou art my child." 

Kagome felt the injustice of the situation as Hachi's wide eyes met her own. Past the point of anger, she cried, "Oh, God defend me! How am I beset!" Turning to Inuyasha, she stared at him accusingly, "What kind of catechizing call you this?" 

Inuyasha returned her glare. "What man was he talked with you yesternight/ out at your window betwixt twelve and one?/ Now, if you are a maid, answer to this," he added solemnly. 

Kagome felt the boom fall. No matter what she said in her defense, she knew he would not believe her. And that made her want to scream and throw things. But she would not lose her cool in front of these men; she was the one who was wronged, not they. Indignantly, she cried, "I talked with no man at that hour, my lord!" 

Sesshoumaru was stirred to action. With rising horror, Kagome felt his words fall on her like an executioner's axe. "Why, then you are no maiden." Turning to Leonato, he continued in a tone of pure disgust, "Leonato,/ I am sorry you must hear. Upon mine honor,/ myself, my brother and this griéved Count/ did see her, hear her, at that hour last night/ talk with a ruffian at her chamber window,/ who hath indeed, most like a liberal villain,/ confessed to the vile encounters they have had/ a thousand times in secret!" 

Inuyasha began a speech that was clear in its dismissal of her. Kagome could only sit there helplessly and hear his harsh words pound against her senses like fists. "O Hero, what a Hero hadst thou been/ if half thy outward graces had been placed/ about thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart!/ But fare thee well, most foul, most fair! Farewell,/ thou pure impiety and impious purity!/ For thee I'll lock up all the gates of love,/ and on my eyelids shall conjecture hang/ to turn all beauty into thoughts of harm,/ and never shall it more be gracious." 

At this point, Hachi, looking like he'd pay someone money if it would get him off the stage and away from these crazy people, said dully, "Hath no man's dagger here a point for me?" 

For a long moment, no one moved, either onstage or in the audience. 

Myouga-sensei finally broke it. "Very well done," he said, a hint of approval in his voice. "Right, on you go." 

Kagome was amazed to find she had been holding her breath. Letting it out slowly, she took a moment to gather herself, then followed Sesshoumaru to the stairs. Aryuu Hachi had already leapt off the stage, poor guy. Kagome went hurriedly up the aisle, aware that Inuyasha was following behind her. God, she couldn't deal with him right now. The way he'd been able to make her feel just through his looks and emotions... she didn't want to go there. Sango obviously understood how she was feeling, for she didn't say a word, just sat there as a comforting presence. If Kagome had been less upset, she might have smiled at the irony of their role reversal. 

The rest of the audition flew past in a blur. Kagome could not turn off the thoughts that questioned her intense reaction to Inuyasha's powerful emotions onstage. That he was even _capable_ of such strong feeling seemed a shock to her; anger, bravado and disdain was all she had ever credited him with in the past few days. Obviously there was more to the man than she had ever realized, only she wasn't sure she really wanted to know any more. What little she'd been exposed to had thus far only served to make her angry or make her upset, with the end result of pure exhaustion. 

Exhaustion. That was what she felt right now. Like she just wanted to go home and take a long nap. Somehow, she had a feeling that Sango would be doing the same kind of thing. 

Finally, the last group of people read. Kagome and Sango looked at each other for a moment before heaving a sigh of relief. It was over. They could go home, and save the worry for later. 

"Remember, the cast list will be posted at 3:00 pm in the Green Room," Myouga-sensei projected his voice over the chatter. "There will be a few surprises there, so be sure to come see it, even if you don't feel like you did well enough to get a part. Tomorrow afternoon is also the first meeting for people interested in crew, so please arrive in the Green Room by 3:15. Thank you, that's all." 

Kagome quickly got to her feet, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Well, that's that, then," she said briskly. 

Sango nodded. "We'll see what happens tomorrow when it comes." 

"Exactly," Kagome smiled, somehow pleased by the knowledge that Sango had read the tenor of her thoughts. 

"Well, I'm going to go home and take a nap; I'm exhausted from all that pent-up anxiety over the audition," she said.

Sango smiled. "Not me, I've got to go do some kind of physical activity to settle down. So I'll see you tomorrow, then?" 

Kagome nodded. "Meet you in homeroom." 

Sango smiled, "Great!" Turning to Kohaku, who was saying good-bye to Shippou, she nodded her head towards the stage door that led to the Green Room. "Ready to head home, Kohaku?" 

He nodded eagerly. "Hai, nee-chan!" 

As she watched them walk away, Kagome thought, _We'll just see what happens tomorrow. Until then, I won't allow anything to preoccupy my mind that I'm not able to do something about. And that includes Yuuretsu Inuyasha._

With that declaration made, Kagome followed the Kachiki siblings down the aisle. 

Finally at the end! Whew!!! I'm exhausted now... wow. This was rather draining to write, to tell the truth. So much stuff to reveal in such a small space of time. Took me three freakin' weeks to write it all out, too. Grrr... Anyway, time for the endless endnotes. Anyone too exhausted to take them, just go ahead and skip them (I promise, I won't be offended). :feels like collapsing into her chair like Sango did after her audition with Miroku: Anyway, PLEASE EVERYONE, REVIEW this chapter and let me know how you liked it. Was it too long? Did I shift perspective too much, not enough? Any comment you can leave me will be highly appreciated! ^_^ Thanks so much for your time, minna-san!!! ^___^

Just as a sidenote, the complete works of Shakespeare used for this story, including the "translations" of Shakespearean lingo, is my mom's old college textbook, and is still, to my mind, far better than the versions they distribute at university nowadays. It's probably discontinued by now, but you could probably find it in a university library or in the marketplace on amazon.com or alibris.com. It's edited by G. B. Harrison, published in 1952 by Harcourt and Brace (egad, that's old! My mom was just a kid then! Sheesh...) 

  
  
  
recheat--a call on the hunting horn, with the usual joke on the cuckold's horn   
winded--sounded   
baldric--the belt, slung across the chest, by which the hunter's horn was carried   
senpai--a suffix used by underclassmen when speaking to upperclassmen. I'm not exactly sure what the exact meaning is, but it's obviously a sign of respect and age. The suffix for underclassmen, which Kagome uses to address Shippou, is kouhai   
ne--has two different meanings depending on where in the sentence it is placed. When placed in the front, it means something like "hey." When placed at the end, it means something like "don't you think?" or "isn't that so?"   
-sama--a suffix denoting a very formal title of address; usually translated as "lord" or "lady" in English (those seem to be the closest equivalent non-Japanese people can understand)   
-chan--a suffix attached to girls' names, usually as an affectionate term of friendship or endearment (although I guess it can be used for guys as well, since Kagome calls her grandfather jii-chan)   
sensei--basically means "teacher." It's a suffix attached to the surname of a teacher, and included when students address the teacher directly   
sou ka--basically means "I see"   
hentai--heh heh, this is a word Sango uses a lot. ^_^ Means "pervert"   
being a man--i.e., you are known to be a dangerous man among the ladies   
fathers herself--is like her father   
meet--suitable   
dear happiness--rare good luck   
humor--mood   
predestinate--predestined, fated   
jade's trick--dirty trick. A jade is a bad-tempered horse   
arigatou--means "thank you" (although there are more formal ways of saying it too)   
baka--heh, another word we hear a lot in the Inuyasha series... ^_^ Means "idiot" or "fool"   
hai--means "yes" (although I think it's a little more formal than that, but don't hold me to it)   
luxurious--lustful   
approved--proved   
in...proof--by putting her resistance to the test   
'forehand sin--the sin of mating before marriage, which could be partially excused since Claudio and Hero were already betrothed   
large--unrestrained   
Dian--Diana, goddess of chastity   
orb--sphere; i.e. the moon, for Diana was also Luna, the moon   
blown--fully opened   
so wide--i.e., so far from the truth   
beset--set upon   
liberal--gross   
and...harm--hereafter whenever I see any beautiful woman I shall suspect her   
nee-chan--an affectionate way of saying "sis" or "sister" 


	3. Setting the Stage

  
  


A/N: Phew, took way too long to get back to this story (hell, back to _any_ story). @.@ I apologize for holding anyone in suspense--my life has been on a collision course lately. I have survived my second-to-last quarter of school (yup, finishing in the fall, joy of joys), three weddings in 4 months (including my own in about 2 weeks ^__^), and my fi first lost his job and then got a new, much better one. Suffice it to say, it has been a very busy 7 months since my last update. : P

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others (yeah by 3 pages, heh), partly because I lack the energy to make it longer, and also because I have heard from some people that the extreme length isn't always the best way to go. I'm still looking for a good medium ground for chapter length in this story, but then again, one never knows with me, and they could end up getting longer... )0_0('

I realize there will undoubtedly be some people who disagree with my casting choices. All of you are entitled to your own opinions on the subject, of course, but I ask (as kindly as possible) that you refrain from emailing me or leaving me reviews telling me that I've got it all wrong, and so-and-so is made for X role, etc. etc. If I have a concern with casting or any element of the story, I promise I will pose it to all my readers to see what you think. That isn't to say that I wouldn't love to hear how someone thinks the casting choices sheds light on the characters, or anything like that. I just don't want to hear, "You suck, Inuyasha should have been Don Pedro" or anything along those lines. I'm having so much trouble staying focused on this story at the moment that that kind of thing would just discourage me for another few months.

To finish up on casting, there are a few minor roles I'm a little uncertain about, but the main ones are set, and with good reason. I hope I can convince you to read on even if you disagree with my decisions. There are whole depths to the personalities of both Shakespeare's and Takahashi's characters that this story is allowing me to explore. I hope everyone will enjoy the ride, since I know that I am. ^_^

To conclude, my thanks to everyone that reviewed. Your reviews have really added meaning to this work, and keep me writing when my normal tendency is to slack off whenever I'm not super motivated (which is most of the time). I appreciate everyone's comments on the length of the story, the pace, the rendering of the characters. But I especially love those reviews where the reviewer told me the story got them so interested that they went off to read the original play by Shakespeare. I can't tell you how excited that makes me, so thanks to all of you for sharing with me how this story has affected your interests!!! ^__^

This chapter is dedicated to Aino and Nana-chan, wonderful friends who are always there, even when we haven't had the time to talk more than once a month. Thanks for your continuing support--it means more to me than even you realize. ^__^

  
Chapter 3--Setting the Stage   
  
"Illusion is the first of all pleasures." --Voltaire   
  
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." --Sir John Lubbock   
  


_I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior/ Benedick. Nobody marks you..._

Miroku stared blankly at the rising air bubbles in his glass of soda. Although the surrounding din of the café wherein he sat was loud enough to make anyone raise their voice to be heard, he remained oblivious to it, seeing only the smug face of Kachiki Sango as she threw that obnoxious remark in his face.

_Nobody marks you..._

Ridiculous how a mere line from a 400-year-old script could be causing him so much discomfort. Never in all his years of acting had he found himself so preoccupied after an audition, nor as emotionally stirred by the impact of the words directed at his character in a scene.

_Had Shakespeare ever realized what such an implication could mean to an actor?_ Miroku thought unhappily. 

The whole profession would be out of a job if indeed no one paid attention to the actors. But the line had been written to act as a witty barb delivered by a threatened woman to the man she secretly loved, not towards actors in general. Why, then, did the line have so much power over him, forcing him into a state of uneasy contemplation over the potential psychological effects behind such language?

_I had rather hear my dog bark at a/ crow, than a man swear he loves me..._

Miroku could still see the blazing triumph in her dark eyes as she openly disdained the power and allure of him and of all men in general. Kachiki had spoken the words with such utter conviction that he was inclined to think she believed them wholeheartedly. 

_Her loss_, echoed through his mind, an ordinarily ready dismissal of Kachiki Sango and her junior high school attitude. That said, how was it that the entire audition scene with her still clung to the forefront of his mind, plaguing him as he tried to unwind from the tense situation he'd just come out of? 

He sighed, and closed his lips over the straw in his drink. He took a few disinterested sips before allowing himself to return to the real world. 

Hachi was watching him uneasily across the table. Upon meeting Miroku's suddenly sentient gaze, he forced a dim smile over his features. 

"Is the soda good?" he asked lamely, wanting to avoid the unpleasant moments from the audition for as long as possible. Not much hope of that, of course--Miroku could keep him here way past dinner if he wanted to. The slanting rays of late afternoon sun outside the café window were only serving to enhance Hachi's desire to go home and forget the whole thing. 

Inwardly, Hachi sighed, and skimmed the rows of cheap leather booths, searching for the waitress who'd brought their sodas. If Miroku was going to keep him here for as long as he suspected, it might be wise to order some french fries or something. 

"Huh?" Miroku was thrown by the question. Without giving his drink so much as a second glance, he replied, "Sure, it's fine. Hachi... I want your opinion on something." 

Trying not to look overly wary, Hachi nodded. He knew what was coming next. 

"What do you make of that sophomore, Kachiki Sango?" 

Hachi let out his breath in gradual spurts. Man, Miroku was really fixated on her lately... 

"Well," he said slowly, "she seems to have some potential... as an actor, I mean!" he added quickly as he realized the unintended implication behind his words. 

Miroku smirked. "That she does, when she actually bothers to let herself go enough to really get into character." 

At Hachi's look of confusion, Miroku pushed his drink to his right and leaned his forearms on the table, ready to elaborate. "Come now, Hachi, surely you must have seen the difference in her performance from the first scene to the other two." 

Hachi nodded imperceptibly, but his senpai continued without noticing, "It was as if she were two totally different people..." 

Trying to ignore the empty ache of his stomach, Hachi asked reluctantly, "Why do you think that happened?" 

Miroku shrugged. "Who knows? She doesn't seem to have much acting experience from what I can tell. Perhaps the stress of the auditions succeeded in getting to her by the second scene." 

His words rang hollow to both of them, but Hachi had no intention of openly contradicting him. 

_If that damn waitress doesn't show up soon, my stomach will start going on strike, and the last thing I want is to mess with Miroku's weird mood_, Hachi grimaced inwardly. 

"Perhaps Yuuretsu intimidated her in the second scene?" he suggested quickly, eager to fill the silence that had begun to settle around the table. 

Miroku snorted, looking rather displeased at the thought. "Quite unlikely there. Kachiki Sango is not intimidated by anyone it seems, not even the superior Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru. No, something else was going on, I'm sure of it." 

Hachi knew without saying what it was that Miroku wanted to believe. 

"So you think it was something about the first scene that drew her out of her shell then, Miroku?" he asked arbitrarily, knowing this was the direction his friend wished to go in. 

His companion smiled wanly. "Meaning that it was due to her unfounded dislike of me that she reacted so strongly to the part? Most likely." He uttered a short laugh, "I suppose I ought to get a medal for such an achievement." 

_More like an Academy Award..._ Hachi thought privately. Especially seeing as Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru was not able to do the same thing himself, and Kachiki probably disliked him as well. 

Slouching down against the hard red faux leather seat, Hachi resigned his hunger to the back of his mind. This was fast becoming too important an event for him to miss, despite the fairly convincing argument his stomach was putting up. With a small sigh, he forced all awareness of his physical discomfort from his mind and returned his attention to the older boy. Miroku was hunched over his drink again, his violet eyes gazing into its sherry-colored depths without clear focus. Yup, he was back with his own thoughts again, an unfamiliar state indeed for the urbane, self-assured actor. 

Hachi cocked his head to the side and studied his companion with revived interest. There was definitely something unusual about Kachiki Sango. Miroku's reaction to her was radically different from anything he'd ever seen before, and he had seen a lot. For, contrary to popular belief, Miroku's romantic overtures had been rejected by girls on several occasions, at least during the three or so years that Hachi had known him. However, that had never seemed to matter to him. He had just taken it in stride and moved on to the next conquest (and there was always another girl lined up, even in 8th grade). Until now. 

It was another long moment before Miroku spoke again. "Regardless of why she responded as she did in that scene, it was good enough that I shouldn't be surprised if we end up seeing Kachiki Sango at rehearsals." 

Hachi blinked, surprised by his friend's admission. "You think she was good enough to get a part?" 

A touch of arrogance slid across the angular planes of Miroku's face--he was obviously feeling better. "I don't just think so, Hachi. I _know_ so," he rolled his eyes, half-amused and half irritated that Hachi had thought to question his judgment. 

Repressing an inward sigh, Hachi decided to that he needed to push Miroku further along in the conversation. He was beginning to have a hard time ignoring the pangs of hunger resonating throughout his abdomen. Damn, he wanted to go home! 

"What about Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru?" he asked, hoping his deliberate change of subject wasn't too obvious. "I mean, yeah, he's getting a part regardless, but not necessarily Benedick. Do you think his brother's appearance affected his performance at all?" 

At that Miroku snorted, and reached for his drink. "Are you kidding, Hachi?" he asked, taking a long draught. "This is the first time anyone has ever seen Sesshoumaru express strong emotion off the stage. That said, of course his concentration was affected. Myouga-sensei must have been absolutely insane to put those two on stage together for the 3rd scene," he smirked and added, "as I'm sure you can recall." 

Hachi shivered involuntarily, remembering how terrified he felt up there with those two glowering entities on either side of him. Thank god Higurashi Kagome had been there to bear the brunt of it during the scene, or he might have fainted from the continuous assault of all those waves of tension emanating from the brothers. 

"Insane or cunningly brilliant..." Miroku mused, half to himself. "What an interesting wild card Yuuretsu Inuyasha turned out to be," he smiled wryly and took a sip of his drink. "He lacks the polish of Sesshoumaru, but there's some deep, powerful emotion he can tap into that somehow makes him compelling to watch." 

"Do you think he'll land a part?" Hachi asked, reaching for his long-ignored soda. It wasn't food, but it was the closest thing he had to it. Under the circumstances he'd best make do with what little he had. 

Miroku frowned a moment before answering. "I don't know. Perhaps. It depends upon how strongly Myouga-sensei feels about Inuyasha's talents, since there's no question we'd have to endure rehearsals with those two glaring daggers at each other." 

Hachi nodded. That made sense. Especially since Sesshoumaru was pretty much guaranteed a good part, given his position in the Drama Club and his carefully cultivated acting skills. 

Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief. Now that he'd had gotten Miroku started on the auditions in a more general way, his friend seemed to have loosened up enough to analyze the proceedings in his normal fashion. 

"That girl with Kachiki, Higurashi Kagome--now there was another unexpected surprise," Miroku was saying. 

Hachi raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. He knew when Miroku liked to hold the reins of a conversation, and this was definitely one time to give him control of it. An arrogant Miroku he could deal with, but a moody, quiet Miroku had him quite stymied. 

"Aside from Kachiki Sango, Higurashi was the second best reader among the girls, especially in that last scene with the Yuuretsu brothers," Miroku said, leaning forward to take another sip of his soda. 

Hachi slurped loudly through his straw. He didn't want to remember any more about that particular reading, but to his chagrin it seemed that Miroku wasn't ready to give it up yet. 

"Moreover, in that scene there was another dynamic that I hadn't expected to see either. Higurashi and Yuuretsu Inuyasha had really surprising chemistry onstage," Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 

Turning to Hachi, he continued, "Do you remember when I came to see you at lunch a few days ago and those two were arguing loudly in their classroom?" 

_How could I forget?_ Hachi thought bemusedly, but kept all trace of his feelings from touching his face. Outwardly, he nodded and tried to look interested. 

"When Myouga-sensei had assigned those three to read all together, I thought we'd have an explosion or something," Miroku smiled widely, amusement dancing in his eyes. 

He quickly sobered and returned to his train of thought. "However, not only were the Yuuretsu brothers strikingly in character for the duration of the actual scene, but the sparks flying between Yuuretsu Inuyasha and Higurashi Kagome were based on more than simple dislike. The pain she was showing wasn't just feigned--no one with her lack of experience is that good. It was like they were acting out something else behind the words, some kind of deeper, shared experience that neither is particularly comfortable with." 

He looked suddenly at Hachi, who had to race to assume an enraptured expression. In truth, the smaller boy had been focusing his energy into trying not to yawn every few seconds. Moreover, a pair of really hot girls--both wearing the Shomingeki uniform--had just sat down at the booth across from them. It was only a matter of time before Miroku noticed their presence, which would hopefully signal the end of his ceaseless analysis. At least, Hachi hoped so. 

"Uh, well, what do you think is going on then?" Hachi stammered, resorting to the surefire tactic of immediately throwing the burden of proof in the conversation back to Miroku. 

It worked, to his relief. 

Miroku shrugged, "That is certainly an interesting question, isn't it? If those two both get a part, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity to find out. Although I suspect that Higurashi will definitely get something, perhaps one of the ladies-in-waiting for Hero or a similar female role." 

He scratched his head. "Or maybe even Hero herself, if she's really lucky. There wasn't really anyone else who read that scene as well as Higurashi, come to think of it, although that other girl, Kyoushi or whatever her name was, did a pretty good job too." 

"And Beatrice?" Hachi asked without thinking. Inwardly he kicked himself, knowing that the question would put Miroku back onto the topic of Kachiki Sango again. 

Once again, Hachi's knowledge of his friend proved insurmountable. 

Miroku drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. "Yes, that's the question, isn't it? The real tenor of this production will depend upon Myouga-sensei's casting decision for that role, I believe. When she lets herself go, Kachiki is by far the most engaging Beatrice that I've seen. However, she's inconsistent, inexperienced." 

_Not to mention that she's got a nasty temper when riled up and seems to hate me beyond all logical reason_, Miroku added dryly. 

Careful not to let his thoughts express themselves in his features, he paused to sip at his drink, aware that the movement would prevent Hachi from noticing his lapse. "Giving the role to a novice like her could result in brilliant success or complete disaster. There are a few more experienced girls who could play the part, but they lack Kachiki's..." he struggled for the right word, "fire." 

_Fire. Yes, that was the perfect incarnation for Kachiki Sango_, Miroku mused, examining the mental image of her he'd been unable to throw out of his consciousness since his scene with her ended over an hour ago. 

Even her name seemed to signify that there was a tough, unyielding spirit behind the quiet, unassuming exterior. Coral. Seemingly fragile on the surface, yet strong and hard as rock when one reached out to examine it more closely. Even more amazing (and more deeply hidden) was the spark of life concealed behind the plain, solid exterior. Coral bore the appearance of simple rock when in truth it was a living entity. Miroku was hard put to find a better creation of nature with such brilliantly simple, deceptive illusion. 

Indeed, from all he had observed thus far, Kachiki Sango completely fit the qualities of her namesake. Were it not for that powerful personality simmering behind her dark eyes--the passion that he had drawn out of her in that now infamous scene--she would merely be another pretty face in the crowd, one he might admire for a day or so before moving on to the next girl. Boring was certainly the last word he could attribute to Kachiki. 

However, the hard as nails attitude that so clearly separated her from the masses of eligible females at Shomingeki was more than he wished to contend with on a daily basis. And if she got the role of Beatrice... god, what then? The thought of endless rehearsals with her glowering at him did not appeal to his finer senses. No, he would not allow that to happen. In addition to being a senior member of the Drama Club, he was still Kachiki's senpai, whether she liked it or not. She had to conform to polite strictures there, and he knew she wasn't stupid enough to forget that. Headstrong or not, the girl would be put in her place, without a doubt. But how to bring her to heel in the smoothest way possible? He was sadly at a loss. Somehow, the idea of crushing Kachiki's spirit, as much as it stood to get in his way, wasn't an attractive option. 

Sighing over this unwanted dilemma, Miroku surrendered completely to his thoughts, allowing the setting and people around him--including the cute girls at the nearby table--to recede to the inner recesses of his consciousness. Cognizant of what was passing through his mind, Hachi left him to his own devices. For Miroku to ignore an opportunity to check out a pretty girl or two was so out of character that his companion had no intervention to offer. 

Slurping absently on his soda, Hachi eyed the actor warily, his mind drifting back over the events of the day. Although he hid his feelings very well, Miroku was clearly dying for the chance to play Benedick--a role that Hachi knew could launch his acting career into new realms. From all that he'd witnessed at the auditions, Hachi knew that his friend stood a very good chance of landing the part he so desperately coveted. However, there was more at stake for Miroku than simply winning the role. Hachi knew enough about acting to understand that good chemistry between the starring actors was essential to a stirring, believable performance; it brought out the best in all of the leads. The woman who ended up playing Beatrice could hugely influence Miroku's performance, provided she was the right fit to his personality to get the chemistry working just right. And if it were Kachiki Sango... well... probably he would have better odds at winning the lottery than in establishing any kind of onstage bond with her. 

As Miroku pensively returned his gaze to his soda glass, Hachi wondered how much more complicated things would become if Kachiki did indeed win the part of Miroku's leading lady. 

  
  


***

  
  


He was entering the sophomore hall when the final bell rang. 

_Shit._

The last thing he needed to start off his day was Kaede-sensei's disapproving frown and the curious stares of his classmates. 

_Especially Kagome's..._ a small voice inside him nagged the rest of his consciousness. 

Inuyasha snorted and shook his head, trying to rid himself of all thoughts of Higurashi Kagome. He'd had enough of her yesterday to last several months. The fact that her stricken face in the audition scene had haunted him all the way home had not improved his mood any further. She had looked so much like Kikyou... but different at the same time. Where Kikyou would have met his accusations with an icy calm bordering on scorn, Kagome's hurt and anger was etched into her features, so palpable he could practically see it in the air. And that was what had kept him in this uneasy state ever since the audition ended. Her pain. 

_Feigned pain, baka!_ he chastised himself. _It was a stupid play that brought that out, you _know_ that! It wasn't real, and she isn't Kikyou._

The harsh reality stopped him in his footsteps, mere strides from the classroom door. 

_She's not Kikyou..._

Much as he hated to admit it, ever since he had first mistaken her for Kikyou in the hallway that first day, he had treated Kagome as if she were on par with the ice queen herself. Contrary to what Higurashi probably believed, it hadn't been done on purpose, but was instead more of a reflex. She had obviously not gotten over the incident any more than he had, resulting in his subsequent inability to move past it even when he tried. He was still pretty embarrassed for having yelled at her by mistake, but that shame always sank into the back of his mind whenever he met her gaze, looking knowingly at him, as if she were smirking at his one blatant weakness. 

Angrily, he shoved open the door to 10-1 and stalked into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Ignoring the frowning visage of Kaede-sensei as she looked up from the roll sheet, he made a beeline for his desk, dropping heavily into his seat without a backward glance. 

He was sure that the eyes of the entire classroom--including Kagome's--were on him, but he wasn't going to let it bother him. Kaede-sensei had wisely chosen to continue calling roll without further interruption after his entrance, and he sank lower in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for the interest of his classmates to die down. 

Still, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that one pair of eyes in particular continued to rest on him. 

_Trying to make me out, is she?_ he scowled at the neat rows of Kaede-sensei's chalked characters on the blackboard in front of him. _Or is it worse than that, to the point where she thinks she's got my personality completely pinned down?_

Such thoughts depressed him, for there was nothing he could do to investigate the truth behind them, at least not now. Unlike most girls, who tended to dwell on things for so long they completely lost sight of what they were initially looking for, Inuyasha preferred to push his problems aside until he couldn't avoid them any further. Higurashi Kagome was definitely in that category. Therefore, he would treat her as such. 

"Please open your English textbooks now, class," Kaede-sensei's gravelly voice instructed. Automatically, Inuyasha reached into his bag and pulled out the medium-sized book. Its cover was still glossy. He suspected that it would probably remain that way, unless, god forbid, there were enough interesting things inside it to pique his interest. 

"We will pick up where we left off yesterday, with 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'. Turn to page 35, please." 

Dutifully, the students obeyed. The sound of fluttering sheets filled the room. 

Kaede-sensei began to drone on about the mechanics of the English used by Ambrose Bierce in his story. Letting loose a barely audible sigh, Inuyasha leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Whatever. As if anyone other than her really cared about the grammatical elements of the story. That wasn't what made it good. The plot was what mattered, and this one had an interesting one. 

It was about a guy about to be hanged for trying to blow up a Union Army blockade during the American Civil War. Inuyasha had been surprised to find himself so quickly drawn in by the dramatic escape of the hero, his swim across the river while dodging bullets, his traversal of the rough terrain, all just to get back to his family. And right when the man reached his wife and kids, the story switched tracks, pulling out from his viewpoint to what Kaede-sensei had called "omniscient third person", revealing that the dramatic escape scene had all occurred in the man's mind in the fifteen seconds or so before he died. 

This was a surprise, a real shock to the reader. It was the kind of story Inuyasha could appreciate, perhaps admire, although he knew that had it been him in that guy's place, he would have easily kicked the asses of his captors--guns and all--and gotten the hell out of there for real. If the man's family was that important to him, his desire to be with them should have been more than enough to help him overpower the fools that stood in his way. But as he listened to Kaede-sensei babble on about the style of the prose and the imagery utilized and other such crap, Inuyasha suspected that she really didn't get the point of the story, and was instead totally bogged down by all the details. 

Glancing at the semi-interested faces around him, Inuyasha deduced the same could be said for his classmates. Stupid morons were missing the entire reason behind telling a story. The fact that even Kagome and her little friend were being quiet for once made him even more disgusted. 

_Well screw them all_, he thought sourly. _No one in this room really understands what's truly important in life anyway. It sure as hell isn't sitting here, listening to lectures on English grammar, the mechanics behind the language, and all that other boring shit. In the end, school doesn't really matter._

But he couldn't expect anyone there to understand that. They were so caught up in trying to fulfill expectations heaped upon them by a strict social order: to get good grades, get into a good university, get a good job, get married, continue the pattern. Well he wasn't having any of that. Like hell he was going to become a mindless insect like the rest of them. There was more to life than that--there had to be. The only person who had ever really understood that was Kikyou. 

_Kikyou..._

A wave of pain washed over him as his mind unwittingly replayed the last few encounters with her. 

It was ridiculous to think that he still had no idea what had gone wrong. Things had been great, he'd been happy, then all of a sudden, bang! She walked out of his life, her cold hatred somehow burning him more soundly than any massive fight could have ever done. What had happened that caused her to change so drastically? As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to hurt her so badly. But girls were weird, taking offense at things never aimed at them in the first place. He'd been angry himself, sure, but it had passed soon enough. If only he could understand what had happened, but Kikyou wouldn't give him the time of day... It was obvious that she hadn't forgiven him for whatever he supposedly did; seeing how she had completely ignored him every time she saw him, as if he were some kind of leper. 

_How dare you do this to me?!_

The words entered his mind, unbidden. He clamped his lids shut, wishing he could shut out the accompanying pain. 

_How the hell should I know, baka?!_

He blinked in surprise. Somehow, the image of Higurashi Kagome's flashing eyes and angry words had superseded Kikyou's last words to him. Impossibly, they seemed to hurt as much as the cold, hateful last words he'd exchanged with Kikyou that summer. 

He let out his breath in a low growl, not caring that the students around him were now staring at him in trepidation. 

_Damn Higurashi Kagome and her stupid anger! And damn the cold-hearted bitch she looks so much like too! I don't want either of them to hold any more power over me, goddamn it!_

Gritting his teeth, he banished their visages from his mind and switched mental tracks to an equally unpleasant, but less confusing topic--his snot-faced brother. Deep down, Inuyasha felt himself relax a little. As much as the topic of Sesshoumaru sickened him, this at least was familiar territory, something he could control. 

Pleased that he'd gotten a grip on his treacherously slippery emotions, Inuyasha proceeded with his thoughts. Although still uncertain about how he felt about yesterday's auditions, he did know that somewhere deep down, he was proud of himself for going. Whether he got a part or not, who knew and who cared? That wasn't what he was there for, anyway. All that mattered was that he had shown his brother that he wasn't a puppet to be controlled or a mangy dog to be kicked around. He could go to whatever club tryouts he wanted, and Sesshoumaru could go to hell and back for all he cared. The bastard didn't own the damn club, after all. 

Satisfaction coursed through him at the image of his brother's white, pinched face when Inuyasha had entered the theater. That memory was something he would cherish over the years, something that his cold prig of a brother couldn't take away from him even if he tried. 

And to think that he might not have done it at all, if it hadn't been for Myouga of all people... 

  
  


"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW, BAKA?!" 

Inuyasha had been completely stupefied by the strange power those angry words from Kikyou--no, _Kagome_--had over him. No girl, not even Kikyou at her angriest, had ever dared talk to him like that. Higurashi, that freaky Kikyou-clone, was the only exception. Not only was she furious with him, but she had no qualms letting everyone around them know it. 

To further worsen matters, Kaede-sensei had overheard enough to intercede and scold them--him--as if they were a pair of grade school children fighting over something as insignificant as a bottle of rubber cement. 

"Higurashi, Yuuretsu, do you have something you need to discuss in private?" her wrinkled face was somehow more austere now than it was earlier, when he'd waltzed into class late. He tried not to wince as her only visible eye bore into him.

_Like hell I do_, he glared at her, aware that his face was beginning to heat up. The realization only served to worsen his mood. 

Bad enough that a mere slip of a girl like Higurashi Kagome had managed to completely confound _and_ offend him in less than a minute, but facing the inquisitive stares of all the students in the hallway had put him over the edge. What did they think, this was a scene from some stupid drama on TV? He was not a freak on display for a bunch of losers to ogle over, nor was his private business open to outside interest. 

So he did the only thing he could think of: getting the hell out of there. 

Barely registering the shocked faces of his audience, he'd whirled around and stormed down the hallway, fists clenched at his sides, his jaw set in a hard, unyielding line. Everything in his line of vision was washed over in varying tones of dark red, a sure sign that he was close to the boiling point. It had been well over a year since he'd last felt that powerful rush of rage, and it wasn't something he cared to have re-surfacing often. 

_Need to get away from everyone before I slug someone..._

Before he knew it, he was walking down the front stairs of the building, then striding off to the right, making his way around the side of the building. He passed by numerous classrooms without the temptation to look into the windows and meet the gazes of anyone watching him. The reddish haze was beginning to recede, and with it, his awareness of his surroundings was returning. 

He found himself standing in front of a grove of Sakura trees just to the left of the outdoor tennis courts. The courts were empty, thank god. No one was around to disturb him. 

He sat down on the slightly damp grass, leaning his back against the tree. If he hadn't been wearing his stupid school uniform, he might have scaled the tree, seeking a perch among its limbs. It was a position that always gave him a feeling of calm and control, as if he were above everything and everyone. Still, the tree was solid and the rough bark against his back strangely comforting. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Time passed, a few precious minutes or a half hour--he didn't know and he didn't care. His ears pricked up as a rustling sound some distance in front of him entered his consciousness. His eyes snapped open, quickly followed by the swift drop of his jaw as he recognized the person heading towards him. 

"Myouga-jiji!" 

The wizened little man smiled at him, his long white mustache rising over his lips in a way that reminded Inuyasha of a walrus bearing its teeth. 

"Hello Inuyasha," the old man greeted him, still wearing that stupid grin. Inuyasha wished he'd quickly go away before the temptation to wipe that smile off his face grew too great. 

Hoping he'd get the message, Inuyasha crossed his arms more tightly across his chest and glared at his unwanted visitor. Sadly, Myouga had known him for too long to be intimidated by the normally fail-safe "bugger off" pose he'd perfected over the years. 

"Getting some fresh air, I see," Myouga said blithely, as if it were a common sight to see a recalcitrant student outside while class continued unabated indoors. 

Inuyasha refused to respond. 

Unperturbed by the boy's lack of response, Myouga strolled over leisurely to the circle of trees. Clearly he wasn't stopping by for a short chat. 

"How are you doing, Inuyasha? I heard that you'd been transferred from Mitsuwa. I hope it wasn't too much of a shock." 

"Keh!" was the snorted reply. 

"Well, no matter," Myouga continued on in a matter-of-fact way, as if he'd completely missed the rude tone in Inuyasha's response. 

"I suppose you'll be doing a lot of studying now that you're in high school," he said in an offhand way. 

Inuyasha smirked at the concept. "Yeah, sure." He deliberately drew out the syllables of the last word, hoping it would piss off his companion. 

_What a dense old fart! He's known me long enough to know that I couldn't care less._ Inuyasha narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Was Myouga up to something? 

There was silence for a moment. Inuyasha listened to the faint rustling of the leaves overhead as the breeze gently caressed the treetops. Several delicate pink blossoms, loosened from their grips, fluttered aimlessly to the ground. Inuyasha inhaled their soft fragrance as he followed their descent with his eyes. 

Myouga also paused to watch the blossoms. His eyes crinkled up at the corners as he too, stopped to breathe in the light fragrance. 

Inuyasha couldn't keep from rolling his eyes at the situation. _Great... Here I am in the perfect setup for some sappy girl flick, with fucking flower petals everywhere, the wind blowing in the trees... and Myouga-jiji. What a joke._

If Myouga figured out the eyeroll was for him, he chose not to show it. "Thinking about joining any after school clubs?" 

The question was so ludicrous that Inuyasha couldn't keep from laughing aloud. "Do you have a fever or something? Me, in a club? Perhaps you're looking for Sesshoumaru..." he made a big show of looking around for his errant brother. 

When he returned his gaze to Myouga, he was surprised to see that the teacher was watching him steadily, a calculating look in his dark eyes. 

"What?" he snapped, unnerved by the old man's silence. 

Myouga paused for dramatic effect--damn him, it worked--and casually rubbed his chin. "Have you ever considered acting?" 

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha stared at him as if he'd suddenly sprouted another set of arms. 

Myouga stared back, his gaze assessing. Somehow, Inuyasha felt as though the old fart's vision had a x-ray-like quality, able to penetrate him to the bone. It was not a comfortable feeling. 

Leaping to his feet, Inuyasha tried to shake off his discomfort. 

"Have you finally gone senile, Myouga-jiji? You know perfectly well that that hard-ass bastard of a brother has declared his sacred club off-limits." He snorted loudly and waved a dismissive hand in the air. "As if I'd want to be associated with that pack of pretty sissy boys anyway." 

Myouga didn't speak for a moment; Inuyasha figured he'd realized the stupidity of his suggestion. Therefore, he wasn't prepared for Myouga's next words. 

"I think you would find the experience far more enjoyable than you imagine. Besides, this semester is a free trial period for anyone interested in the Drama Club." 

Inuyasha blinked at the implication. "Why the hell are you doing that?" 

Myouga's smile looked far too cunning for his liking. "I figured it would be a good way to attract potential members to the Club. If there isn't a forced commitment involved with acting in this semester's play, I believe it's much more likely that undecided people will be willing to give the club a try." 

Inuyasha digested that information for a moment. "Is that why you picked a Shakespeare play to perform?" 

Inwardly he groaned as the words left his lips. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage the old fool further. 

Myouga was smiling broadly at the question. "Actually no. I've wanted to put on a Shakespeare production--in English, mind you--for several years now. However, with the large influx of new students and all the administrative changes this year, it seemed a perfect thing to offer. Especially to anyone ordinarily intimidated or uncertain about the Drama Club." 

"Hmph," was all his companion could think to say. 

Myouga chose not to let Inuyasha's lack of response deter him. "Tryouts for the play are on Wednesday afternoon. We're just doing a cold read from three different scenes, all in groups. I think you should come." 

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! In your dreams, old man." 

He barely noticed the quick smirk that flitted across Myouga's lips. "I'll see you there, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru will certainly be in for the surprise of his life, don't you think?" 

And with that enigmatic parting sally, the teacher turned and walked away, leaving Inuyasha standing under the trees, blinking his eyes in thought. 

  
  


Recalling Myouga-jiji's last words, Inuyasha felt his lips twist up in a smug smile. Sesshoumaru sure did have an unpleasant surprise. One that would hopefully be prolonged for some time, provided Inuyasha got a part in the play. God, he'd love to see that angry, scornful face every day and know that, for once, he'd gained the upper hand. The days of the unflappable, intimidating Sesshoumaru dominating his life were over. He wouldn't let the bastard influence his actions any longer. But for the change to begin in earnest, he _needed_ to be in this play. And just any little role, he feared, wouldn't do the trick. He had to get something halfway decent to really be a thorn in his brother's side, and that, sadly, was a decision entirely out of his hands. 

Sinking farther down into his seat, Inuyasha frowned at the text of the open book on his desk. Myouga-jiji wouldn't have gone to all the trouble trying to convince him to go to the stupid audition if he'd simply planned to shoot him down. Would he? 

As much as he hated to admit it, Inuyasha was almost afraid to see the cast list that afternoon, lest all his dreams of standing up to his brother shattered like broken glass in his hands. 

  
  


***

  
  


The instant the final bell rang at 3 pm, Hinutsu Miroku was on his feet, making a beeline for the door. 

_Time for the moment of truth_, he thought, tightening his grip on his backpack strap. 

The hall was still empty when he stepped into it, but the sounds of students packing up and chatting quickly filled the narrow space. Behind him, his classmates spilled out the room, talking animatedly about afternoon club meetings, establishing daily study sessions, hanging out on the weekend. Had Miroku not been in such a hurry to discover his fate, he might have paid attention to which pretty girls were studying where--as was one of his older practices--so he could drop by later and test his luck. 

Ignoring the talk of the other students, Miroku strode quickly towards the stairs, but not at too fast a pace--after all, it wouldn't do to have people see him racing along the halls like a freshman late for class. The cast list would be up all day; he really had no reason to hurry, save for his rising anxiety. 

_Get a grip on yourself, Hinutsu!_ he chastised himself. _Remember your resolution from last night!_

Forcibly, his pace slowed a bit as he reached the stairs and began to descend. Inwardly, Miroku engaged in the practice that he'd come to depend on in his early teens--meditation. Although he couldn't really do a full-fledged round of mediation while walking through the school, just the practice of focusing his thoughts and energy in one direction worked wonders. 

_That's right, calm is the way of things. Remember that._

Beneath his iron will, his errant emotions recessed to a deeper part of his mind. Miroku relaxed, and noticed his surroundings for the first time since he'd exited the junior homeroom. He was now in the main part of the building, where the administrative offices were housed. Walking past the windowed front office of the senior administrators, he entered the hallway that led to the big school auditorium where the first assembly had been held three days earlier. The day he'd first laid eyes on Kachiki Sango, not knowing what a massive pain in the backside she would turn out to be. 

Closing his eyes in disgust a moment, he gave himself a good mental shake. So far, sticking to his resolution seemed to be far too difficult for his liking. After leaving the café with Hachi yesterday afternoon, Miroku had done a good amount of thinking on the subway ride home. The bulk of it had centered around Kachiki, and not in a way he enjoyed. Positive as he was that she would win some kind of role, he had to prepare himself to face her for the many days of rehearsals. And letting her see how much she had managed to get under his skin after barely a day's acquaintance was the last thing on his list. 

So he had determined to never let her see his annoyance. He was an actor, after all--he knew that as long as Kachiki's behavior got a reaction out of him, she'd persist in it. If he kept his distance, remained polite but not effusively friendly, then she'd eventually back off and find someone else to harass. That was the best he could hope for under the present circumstances, and he was bent on making the plan succeed. 

With his edict clearly rehashed in his mind, Miroku forced his mind onto other matters as he turned left into the small hallway--bordering the auditorium--that led to the Green Room. Up ahead, he spied the tall white-haired form of Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru, his little shadow boy following him, as always. From the senior's relaxed, elegant posture, it seemed clear to any observer of him that Yuuretsu was utterly confident in himself--in this case, of having won the role he sought. 

_We'll just see about that..._ he thought, his own confidence surprisingly bolstered by the sight of his arrogant colleague. 

His somewhat tenuous calm was completely restored when he reached the doorway that Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru had entered a minute earlier. The door was swinging closed--from having admitted another student--as Miroku reached it. Grasping the wooden edge of the door, he took a deep breath for good luck and crossed the threshold. 

A small group of students were clustered around the bulletin board on the opposite wall from where Miroku stood. Most of last year's Drama Club members were already here, as were the remaining senior Club members. Manzai Jakotsu was slumped across the dying brown leather armchair to the left of the bulletin board, his lips spread in a wide grin. Miroku repressed a shudder at the image and let his eyes traverse the rest of the room, taking in the Rakurai brothers, waiting silently near the door to the little theater. Next to them stood Funjin Kouga and his band of misfits, apparently checking out the group of freshmen girls giggling nervously a few feet from bulletin board. Voices from the far right momentarily grabbed his attention--Kachiki Sango's dulcet tones rose on the tail of the lighter, more feminine laughter of her companion, Higurashi Kagome. 

_So, we're all here, then. The stage is set._

From the nervous stances of both girls, Miroku hazarded a guess that they hadn't been brave enough to check out the list yet. Somehow this knowledge was not as comforting to him as he supposed it should be. After all, what did the sophomores have to lose, really? They weren't in this for the same reasons he was. 

Gearing up his resolve, Miroku looked away from the two girls. Across the room, the bulletin board beckoned him onward. 

_Well, here goes nothing._

He began to cross the room. 

"This is an outrage, Sesshoumaru-senpai!" 

Miroku couldn't keep a smirk from passing over his face. He never could understand what the dignified Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru saw in that obnoxious junior. Hikigaeru Jaken was more irritating than a thrice rejected female that wouldn't give up, not to mention as ugly as a toad, with a voice to match. 

For such a small boy, Jaken's voice could be heard rising indignantly above the others without difficulty. "You should have been cast in the role of Benedick, not merely the Prince!" 

Merely _the prince?_ Miroku thought, unable to refrain from smirking some more. _Aw, poor man, stuck as a rich, powerful and leading character... My heart truly goes out to him._

He blinked as the implied meaning behind Jaken's words registered. If Sesshoumaru wasn't... that meant... He felt something deep inside him--probably his stomach--start to unclench (he supposed it was that tight ball of fear that he was never able to banish entirely). The news that Sesshoumaru had only landed Don Pedro was--contrary to Jaken's offended sensibilities--fantastic. Miroku couldn't keep himself from inwardly heaving a deep sigh of relief. That didn't leave many other candidates for Benedick, and none as good as he. His confidence that he had indeed gotten the role was steadily rising. 

His step lighter, Miroku continued to make his way across the room to the bulletin board, deftly maneuvering around newly formed clumps of students chattering about the cast list. 

"I was so hoping I'd get a speaking part--" 

"I can't believe that Myouga-sensei cast him--" 

Too full of anticipation, Miroku was unable to pay the conversations any heed. 

Planted in front of the cast list, Jaken was still continuing his rant, although his august "master" didn't seem to be around to hear it. 

"--Just as offensive that I should be given the small role of Balthasar, when I could have easily played Conrade or Borachio!" Turning his head to gauge Sesshoumaru's response, Jaken was unpleasantly surprised with the revelation that his idol was not there. "Sesshoumaru-senpai? Where are you, Sesshoumaru?" He looked almost panicked. 

_Oh good lord..._ Miroku couldn't keep from shaking his head sadly. This was simply pathetic. Well... it would be if it weren't so damn funny either... 

Seeing that most of the people within earshot were mirroring his thoughts on the subject, Miroku saw the perfect opening and pounced. "Now there's a type-cast if I've ever seen one," he said wryly in a loud enough voice to be overhead. A chorus of laughter rose from the students as his remark registered. Having successfully captured his audience, he eyed the retreating Jaken's diminutive figure with amusement. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Miroku saw Higurashi Kagome and Kachiki Sango--still standing together near the worn green sofa, along with Kachiki's brother and that freshman kid, Naiibu Shippou--following Jaken's progress across the room. Kagome and Shippou were laughing, having obviously overheard him. The younger Kachiki--Kohaku was it?--was fighting a losing battle trying to conceal a smile. Sango, however, appeared not to have reacted at all. Surrounded by faces full of mirth, hers was as serious now as it had been on the day of the audition. 

Miroku's brow furrowed into a frown. Well that wouldn't do. What fun was it getting everyone else to laugh at his comments if she refused to acknowledge him? After all, there was no way she could have missed what he said. He was an actor--when he wanted something heard, he made damn sure it was heard. The girl's lack of reaction was frustrating, not mention a distinct challenge to his ability at engaging an audience. 

No longer choosing to remain inconspicuous, he turned his head to the right and observed her more closely. She hadn't noticed his regard, which was definitely a good thing, since any reaction she might subconsciously betray would completely disappear once she was aware of his scrutiny. He'd grant her that much acting ability off the stage at least. 

Hmm, now that was interesting. For a moment there, it looked like--yes, it was! There was just the smallest of smirks on her face, perhaps only a subconscious reaction. For some strange reason, this pleased Miroku so much he couldn't have been much happier if he'd won an acting award of distinction. It had to be the knowledge that he could get her to smile against her will that made him feel this way. Indeed, if things continued going this well in his favor, he might have to revise his resolution. He had to admit that the idea of finding all sorts of creative ways to undermine Kachiki's high and mighty attitude held strong appeal. 

Emboldened by his small victory, Miroku pushed his way to the bulletin board. He fastened his eyes at the top of the list, where the principals were always listed, and found his name immediately. And the name directly across from his: Benedick. 

For a moment, Miroku closed his eyes and basked in the warm glow that suffused through him. YES! The role was his. Everything he'd dreamed of was now reality. His stomach did a little jig and the jubilant smile he'd been holding back spread across his face without resistance. 

_To hell with Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru, Kachiki Sango and the lot of them. I've done it!_ he thought with satisfaction. 

Quickly coming back down to earth, he resumed scanning the list, curious about the other casting decisions. He spied Jaken's name next, and found that he was unable to stifle an amused guffaw when he read the character name printed across from it. Heh heh. The stupid moron was obviously so flustered by his dear Sesshoumaru's misfortune that he'd misread his own role. He wasn't Balthasar, the singer in Don Pedro's entourage, but instead was the Sexton, an even smaller role than the one he'd so fervently complained about. What a great joke. Almost as funny as Funjin Kouga playing that idiot-- 

His breath caught in his throat as another name leaped out at him. Oh surely not... did Myouga wish to torture him? Miroku had obviously been celebrating his good fortune too soon, so it seemed. Just when things looked to be absolutely perfect, here was an obstacle he hadn't wanted to deal with. 

Closing his eyes again, he breathed in and forced a wave a calm over the flustered emotions that were threatening to revolt. 

Well, no matter. Nothing was going to prevent him from the performance of a lifetime. Nothing. He'd make damn well sure of it. 

_You never know_, he reminded himself. _This might turn out to be a highly educational experience._

His lips spread in a slow grin at the thought. 

  
  


Across the room, Kachiki Sango watched out of the corner of her eye as Hinutsu Miroku scanned the cast list. God, would he hurry up and leave already?! The very idea of going over there to read the list with Hinutsu looking on at her patronizingly was enough to push her roiling stomach to the brink. 

Unfortunately, the anticipation that had built in the last five minutes of waiting was beginning to kill her. Maybe if she could get Kagome-chan to go ahead and run interference for her... But that was cowardly, wasn't it? That was letting Hinutsu win. 

Hinutsu moved away from the cast list without a backward glance at her. The coast was clear, but her feet remained planted to the floor. 

_This is getting ridiculous._

Apparently her companions shared her convictions. 

"Ready to go look yet?" Shippou asked, looking as nervous as Sango felt. 

Kagome's laugh was a little forced. "I suppose it's now or never, ne?" 

Kohaku nodded. "Might as well get it over with." 

They turned expectantly towards Sango. 

_What, are they expecting me to give them the go-ahead signal or something?_

Forcing a wan smile on her lips, Sango gave Kagome a little nudge. "Why don't you go ahead and look, Kagome-chan? I know there's nothing there for me to see." 

"Geez Sango-chan, don't be so hard on yourself!" Kagome looked at her with concern. "You should at least look and see if your name is on there." 

Sango shook her head quickly, aware on some level that she'd just die of humiliation if her name wasn't on the list, but unwilling to let anyone--even Kagome--see it. Especially after she managed to survive that audition opposite Hinutsu Miroku. Hell, if she could stay in character around that conceited playboy, she could play Godzilla. 

Kagome studied her for a moment in silence, a pensive expression on her face. She must have guessed at the tenor of Sango's feelings, however, for she quickly brightened (in what Sango had learned was her natural way of putting others at ease) and turned towards the ever-beckoning cast list. "Right, I'm going in there. Let's hope we each landed a small part at least, ne, Sango-chan?" 

"Hai," Sango nodded without conviction as she watched her friend stride over to the bulletin board, head held high. Near the adjacent wall, the group of rough looking guys headed by the set designer, Kouga something, paused to watch Kagome's progress. The object of their interest didn't even notice them. 

Sango couldn't keep from chuckling at the expression on Kouga's face--he looked like he was impersonating a stunned rabbit staring into the oncoming headlights of the car about to maul it. Heh, what an irony to think that Mr. Tough Guy had a thing for nice, studious girls like Kagome. Nice to know there was hope for them all. She rolled her eyes. 

Kagome was looking up at the posted list, her face a mask of concentration. 

"Shippou-kun, you're the messenger!" she called out, a smile dancing over her face. 

Shippou looked absolutely floored; Sango thought his reaction pretty cute actually, one of the nicest she'd seen yet in this room full of self-conscious and self-important people. 

"Kohaku-kun, you're one of the watchmen!" 

Grinning, Sango turned to her brother, who gave her a genuinely happy smile. 

"All right, Kohaku!" Shippou smiled at him. Far more relaxed now, the boys exchanged a congratulatory slap on the back. 

_I'm so glad that Kohaku got a role! He's worked so hard, and this is something fun, something he deserves_, Sango thought, full of pride for her younger brother. 

Realizing that Kagome had been silent for some time now, Sango refocused her gaze on her friend, who was staring in disbelief at the cast list. She was about to call out and ask what was going on when the transformation that overtook Kagome's face almost immediately basically answered her unvoiced question. 

"Ohmigod Sango-chan!" she squealed. "I can't believe it! I'm Hero!" 

"Really?" Sango exchanged excited glances with the two boys. "Kagome, that's wonderful!" 

She was surprised by the excitement that stirred up in her at Kagome's words. Well, at least her friend had gone well beyond her own expectations. As for her, however, that was another matter entirely... Still, for all of her friends to have done so well, it was something she could be proud of, regardless of what happened to her. 

Kagome was running in place like a runner who'd just won a marathon. "Oh Sango, this is sooooo exciting! I never dreamed I'd get a part this good and-- OHMIGOD!" she stared at the list with wide eyes. 

"What?!" unable to stand the tension any more, Sango raced to her friend's side in a few quick strides. Behind her, she could hear Kohaku and Shippou talking animatedly about what rehearsals might be like. 

Kagome grinned inanely at her. "Sango-chan!" she grabbed her hands. "Look at your name!" 

"My-- what?" Shock replaced excitement as Kagome's words sank in. 

Sango's eyes ran up the list. What was Kagome talking about? She didn't see her name anywhere. No wait... it couldn't be-- 

"Well, well," said a lazy voice behind her that made her blood freeze in her veins. "Apparently Myouga-sensei liked that audition after all." 

For a brief second, Sango felt her heart stop mid-beat. Quickly collecting her wits, she whirled and plastered a smile full of fake sweetness on her face as she met Hinutsu's startling violet gaze. 

"I suppose he did," she said airily, waving a hand carelessly in the air. The sheer amount of will power it took to hide her excitement at the news that she was Beatrice was staggering, but somehow she managed it. It was worth it. 

Hinutsu appeared momentarily taken aback by her off-hand response. Encouraged by his confusion, Sango decided to plunge ahead with her newly discovered tactic. 

"Pray tell," she infused the fake sweetness into her tone and was immensely pleased with the effect, "what role did your illustrious person land? Given your reputation, I should expect that it is to your satisfaction," at that last bit, she couldn't keep the smug smile from peeking out behind the masked pleasantry. Hopefully he'd gotten the role of one of the bad guys, like Don John, or better yet, the seducer Borachio. 

_Yes_, she decided, her smile spreading wider across her face, _that would fit him perfectly. Especially because Borachio not only gets found out, but is properly censured for his conduct to boot. An absolutely perfect parallel for Hinutsu, and a fate he certainly deserves._

As the complacent thoughts just finished crossing her mind, Sango was suddenly struck by how little of a reaction she had gotten out of Hinutsu. His facial expression hadn't shifted from its normally conceited, self-assured mask. Somehow, impossibly, he looked more smug than before. Uh oh... that didn't mean what she feared it might... 

Miroku's equally lazy smile confirmed her fears. "I should imagine so, given that I'm to play Benedick to your Beatrice. 'My dear lady Disdain,'" he quoted, and, with a flourish, swept into a deep bow worthy of any professional Elizabethan actor. 

Giggles from the girls around them, including--traitor!--Kagome, met his display. Sango, however, could only feel a cold rage settling in the pit of her stomach as she stared at his bent figure, dark strands of hair framing his face so perfectly that it made her want to throw something in protest. So the conceited drama king thought he could treat her as an acting novice, did he? Well he'd be sorry to discover that he had quite another thing coming. She had no intention of letting him patronize her over her lack of acting experience, even if it ended up losing her the part in the end. No matter what, she had to preserve her dignity. Despite his suave, polished façade, Hinutsu was just an irritation--no more than an annoying fly that kept on buzzing in one's face no matter how many times it was swatted at. She refused to let him control this game. 

Arranging herself into as haughty a demeanor as she could manage, Sango looked down her nose at him and recited, "'Is it possible Disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain if you come in her presence.'" 

Now the giggles around them had turned into roars of laughter. Looking directly into Hinutsu's eyes, Sango was pleased to see undisguised surprise there. His pose, while charming and attractive in the first few seconds, was beginning to look rather silly. His bangs were seconds away from getting tangled in his eyelashes (surprisingly long eyelashes, she noted quickly before forcing her thoughts elsewhere), and his arms were sure to get tired from their prolonged position thrust away from his body. Moreover, it was quickly becoming apparent to their audience that his advantage had fled. 

_Nice try, hotshot, but it's as easy as you thought, is it?_, she thought with a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. 

Ha, she had outdone him this round. She'd bet everyone in the room two thousand yen that he'd never expected that a novice such as herself might have memorized one of the lines from their audition scene. 

Sango could sense that Kagome was watching her with interest, but she was too determined to relish her small victory to pay her any attention. Watching Hinutsu squirm was not something she intended to miss. 

Clearly the object of her amusement had sensed his failure, for he quickly dropped his previous pose and stood up normally; his visage half-frowning as his mind raced for a quick retort to Sango's challenge. Before Hinutsu could even utter a syllable, however, he was accosted by a deep voice saying wryly, "Perhaps Myouga liked that audition a little _too_ much." 

Everyone turned and stared as the daunting, graceful figure of Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru came to a stop beside the already battling Beatrice and Benedick. By his side, Hikigaeru Jaken glared at them, his eyes so round and protruding that he almost resembled a dead fish. Miroku straightened unconsciously as the king of the Drama Club's golden eyes alighted on him. 

Meeting his gaze with outward calm, Miroku found himself wondering whether Sesshoumaru was cursing him for landing the role of Benedick. Although never one to covet the role of the romantic leading man, Sesshoumaru was certainly as qualified to play the role as Miroku was. Add the fact that there wasn't a better male role in the entire play, and Sesshoumaru could easily be pissed off at the turn of events. He'd never let it show, though. He was too damn good an actor for that--too proud by half. 

"Well met, my good Don Pedro," Miroku said amiably, masking his thoughts behind a charming smile. 

Sesshoumaru smiled thinly, "Well met indeed, Signior Benedick." Turning his attention to Kagome and Sango, who were trying not to make it obvious that they were staring at him, he said, "So these are our leading ladies, then?" 

"Hai, Yuuretsu-senpai," Kagome bobbed her head, following the traditional rules of deference for upperclassmen. Sango mirrored her action. 

"I do not believe we have met," Kagome said, raising her eyes and meeting his golden eyes dead on. "I'm Higurashi Kagome." 

Sango was just opening her mouth to introduce herself when someone else did it for her. 

"This is Kachiki Sango," Miroku, to everyone's surprise, made the introduction. 

Sesshoumaru's right eyebrow rose with a sophistication that suggested many hours of patient study in front of a mirror to perfect the gesture. "Quite an admirable role for one so new to our ranks, Kachiki. Perhaps you should consider joining the Drama club permanently instead of just for the semester." Obviously he'd read all the students' information forms from the audition. 

"Perhaps, Yuuretsu-senpai," Sango said quietly, feeling ill at ease. The icy exterior of Shomingeki's most distinguished actor was enough to put anyone on their guard. Even Hinutsu Miroku, who obviously had much contact with him, looked less than his normal stellar self at the moment. 

Speaking of Hinutsu... As he and Yuuretsu began to discuss rehearsal dates, Sango stole another quick glance at him, puzzled. Whatever had provoked him to butt into the introduction? Was Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru so totally superior that a mere newcomer such as herself could not introduce herself to him? 

Sango was prevented from presenting Hinutsu with a glare for his rudeness by the sudden entrance of Yuuretsu Inuyasha, swaggering through the door as if he owned the place. The entire room fell into a breathless hush as the Yuuretsu siblings locked eyes. 

Next to Sango, Kagome felt an involuntary shudder course through her at the blast of pure hatred she felt from Sesshoumaru. That intensity which served him so well on the stage was turned on full blast now, and she found it incredibly unnerving. Framed in the doorway, Inuyasha looked equally as menacing as his older brother did. Yet, for some odd reason, she wasn't frightened of him, and that admission in itself was enough to send her mind into a spin. 

The tense moment passed. Inuyasha stalked across the room and came to a stop in front of the bulletin board, scarcely a foot away from Kagome's left side, as she now stood with her back towards the list. Warily, she watched him out of the corner of her eye as he scanned the list for his name, gearing up to get out of the way if he suddenly lurched towards his brother. 

Therefore, it came as a complete shock to her when his face suddenly lit up like a newly installed light bulb. His golden eyes softened, and the most genuine, boyish smile she'd ever seen spread over his lips. Was this the same Inuyasha who had spoken so harshly to her in the hallway that first day, who had since been sour and obnoxious every time she set eyes on him? These emotions were unexpected; she had no idea how to react to them. She was enraptured, waiting to see what he did next. 

Sesshoumaru appeared as surprised by Inuyasha's reaction as Kagome, although his reaction clearly went off in another direction from hers. Leaving the gasping Jaken's side (who now sounded like the dead fish he'd earlier resembled), he marched right next to his brother and looked over his shoulder to discover just what had prompted such an unwelcome response. Kagome blinked in surprise as it occurred to her that Sesshoumaru probably was viewing the cast list--aside from his own role--for the first time. 

_God, how conceited_, she thought, bristling a bit. 

Sesshoumaru's proximity had forced Inuyasha to move a bit off to the left, and consequently closer to Kagome. They were standing so close that his sleeve accidentally brushed against hers as he drew in a breath. For some crazy reason, Kagome felt as though she were about to become dizzy. 

_Get a hold of yourself, Higurashi Kagome!_ she ordered the disobedient factions of herself. _They're not going to kill each other, at least not in front of the stupid bulletin board!_

Still, her pep talk couldn't quite dispel the shaky feeling in her knees. Disgusted with herself, Kagome shifted position a little and focused her attention to the cast list, which, given her vantage point, was easily readable. Beside her, she felt Sango move uneasily. 

_Leonato... Myouga-sensei?_ her eyes widened in surprise at the discovery. Myouga-sensei _is acting in the play? Is that allowed? And was that really Kaede-sensei's name I just saw-- oh god, it is!_

She barely had time to marvel over the revelation when her eyes took in Inuyasha's name. Claudio. 

_Oh my god..._

The sudden sharp intake of breath nearby clued her in that Sesshoumaru had just found the same thing she had. He was right to be shocked. _She_ was flabbergasted. Yuuretsu Inuyasha was playing the sweet, dashing lover Claudio? Had Myouga-sensei gone out of his mind? 

Her mind was positively reeling from all the developments. Numbly, she watched as Inuyasha--moving as though in slow motion--turned and faced Sesshoumaru with a victorious grin on his face. Her breath caught in her throat as Sesshoumaru turned eyes glittering with hatred on his errant younger brother's face. 

As the seconds ticked by, Kagome felt the tension rising exponentially. The whole room watched with bated breath as Sesshoumaru began to smile slowly. 

"Congratulations, Inuyasha," his voice was surprisingly smooth and measured. Each word that followed was clearly emphasized. "You've been cast as a naïve, gullible fool." 

Beside her, Inuyasha froze. Kagome could feel the fury emanating from him in waves. 

"Is that so, pretty boy bastard?" 

Kagome stared in fascinated horror. Was Inuyasha baring his teeth? He was! The two canines on either side of his mouth were surprisingly long and pointed, almost like mini vampire fangs she'd seen in low budget horror movies. She wasn't sure whether she felt frightened or amused by the discovery. 

Sesshoumaru, apparently, also possessed a good set of pointed canines. Kagome was wondering whether it ran in the family when he growled, "What did you call this Sesshoumaru, hanyou?" 

_Hanyou?!_

Sibling rivalry aside, did Sesshoumaru really call his brother a half demon? For some reason, Kagome felt a wave of rage flood over her. What did that make _him_, then, a full demon?! That was beyond cruel. What the hell was wrong with their parents, to allow such animosity to run unchecked? 

"How can you call your own brother something like that?!" she snapped at Sesshoumaru without thinking. 

The look in Sesshoumaru's eyes as they alighted on her was so powerful she staggered, as if taking an actual blow from him. 

"What did you say, girl?" 

Kagome stared at him in shock, her mouth working. To her amazement, Inuyasha jumped in to defend her. 

"Leave her alone, Sesshoumaru!" he shouted, sandwiching himself between her and his brother in a protective stance. His voice was dangerously low. "Your argument is with me. Or do you need to pick on a girl to feel important?" 

A flurry of surprised gasps, including one from Kagome herself, met his words. Only half aware of Sango's hand clutching her arm, Kagome stared at Inuyasha. Only part of his profile was visible, but the emotions crossing his face were clear to see: anger, hatred, determination... and something else, something she couldn't determine. Fear, perhaps? But for whom? Her? Surely not. But then again, he hadn't looked quite like this earlier, before she stupidly butted in. Could it be that he was really trying to protect her in earnest? But... why? Her mind spun at the idea. 

Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, had straightened at the insult, his spine stiff with repressed rage. He looked to be seconds away from striking his brother. 

Inuyasha's hands were curled into fists, raised threateningly above his waist. "I'm ready whenever you are." 

Sesshoumaru smiled coldly. "Brave words for a little runt like you. You honestly think you have a chance against me? Chiche-ue barely taught you anything before he died." 

Inuyasha shook visibly at the words; Kagome couldn't avoid feeling it, given that his back was scarcely inches away from her. 

_Their father is... dead?_

Before Kagome had time to really digest the information, Inuyasha threw down the proverbial gauntlet. 

"Keh!" he snorted, brushing off his initial reaction. "Are you too afraid to find out and see?" 

Kagome couldn't take it any more. The situation had progressed further than she could stand. They were brothers, for god's sake, whether they liked each other or not! 

Shoving Inuyasha aside, she angrily stomped her foot and screamed, "Stop it!!!" 

Dead silence met her outburst, but she was too angry at this point to care. "Stop this stupid fighting! This is a goddamn _play_ we're talking about here, not some battle of life and death! You're both behaving like children, and I won't have it!" 

Inuyasha's mouth worked but no sound came out. He stared at her in affronted, almost wounded silence. Kagome was so struck by the visible display of pain in his face that she felt all her anger dissipate like a puff of smoke. Why was he looking at her like that? What had she done? 

"Well spoken, young lady," a gruff voice from across the room interrupted any further action. 

Everyone turned to meet the grim face of Myouga-sensei, who had paused by the doorway, his arms folded across his chest in disapproval. 

"Yuuretsu Sesshoumaru, Yuuretsu Inuyasha, if either of you wish to remain in this production, you will cease and desist right this minute." His eyes moved between the two brothers, daring either to challenge his word. 

Kagome held her breath, fearing that Inuyasha might do something stupid and get himself kicked out of the group. Her fears were groundless. All the rage she had sensed in him just seconds ago had now deflated like a punctured tire, happening so quickly it left her reeling. 

Turning to meet Myouga-sensei's eyes, Inuyasha relaxed his stance to one of bored indifference and regarded the teacher with something akin to petulance. "Keh. I'm not interested in playing his little power game. Do what you want." 

And with that, he strode across the room and stretched out on the worn green sofa Kagome and her friends had been standing by less than ten minutes ago. He looked almost bored. Kagome felt the sudden urge to hit him, hard, for his annoying attitude shift. The violent, obnoxious... jerk! First he goads his brother into a near fight, gets enraged the instant she got involved, and then goes off the next minute and acts like nothing happened at all. That stupid-- baka!!! 

She was so preoccupied with her frustration at Inuyasha that she barely heard Sesshoumaru's comment to his director, but it sounded as indifferent and bored as his brother's had. Somehow that enraged her further. They were truly a pair, those Yuuretsu brothers. So damn alike in the worst ways that they hated seeing those parts of themselves in each other. Ooooh, it just made her sick! 

While she seethed, Myouga raised his hands in the air in a placating gesture, preparing to speak to the room at large. 

"I'm sorry that this production has started off on such a sour note. However, I assure you all that there will not be a repeat performance," he smiled weakly at his own pun, and someone snickered from across the room. "If anyone here has a problem with someone else in the cast, stow it for the duration of the production. Otherwise, the door is there," he gestured behind him, "and you will be walking through it. Do I make myself clear?" 

His eyes scanned the breadth of the room, meeting the gaze of every student present. Kagome barely noted Sango's slight flinch as the teacher's eyes met hers. She remained quiet, however, and Myouga-sensei's gaze moved on, to Hinutsu, who returned his look with only half of his normal assurance. Clearly, Myouga-sensei was aware of any rivalries and resentments among those present, at least the more obvious ones. Kagome wondered if he'd sensed the awkwardness between Inuyasha and herself. Of course he didn't, she realized, berating herself. He wouldn't have cast them to play _lovers_ if he had, surely. The knowledge did not serve to make her feel better. 

His survey of the room complete, Myouga nodded slowly, and the students let out a collective sigh of relief. 

"Very well, that's settled then. Now," he rubbed his hands together, "to business. Rehearsals won't begin in earnest until Monday, but tomorrow after school there will be a short meeting for the entire cast and anyone interested in crew to go over rehearsal dates, distribute scripts, and get to know each other a bit better. I expect to see you all here at 3:15. Thank you, that's all." 

With that, he walked off to the desk in the far corner of the room and took a seat, apparently dismissing the students. No one moved for a moment, waiting for someone else to make the first move. 

The spell was broken by Funjin Kouga's loud announcement. "Anyone interested in production crew, the introductory meeting is today." He gestured towards the vacant chairs along the wall, "take a seat and we'll begin shortly." 

His bit done, Kouga strode across the room and plopped down on the sofa nearest the bulletin board. His two buddies, resplendent in their scruffy uniforms and sporting hairdos from a bad 1980s American rebel youth movie, followed him meekly. Around the room, various flustered students looked for seats. 

This was the cue for all the leading actors to pack up and go. Kagome was more than relieved by the early dismissal. Turning to meet Sango's eyes, she saw her feelings mirrored back. Across the way, Shippou and Kohaku clearly interpreted their unspoken communication, for they quickly crossed the room to join the two girls. 

"Let's get out of here," Kagome breathed, and the three nodded their agreement. 

Without so much as a single sideways glance at Inuyasha, who hadn't moved from his position on the sofa, Kagome strode over the left edge of the sofa and grabbed her and Sango's backpacks from their spot against the wall. As she turned and held up the backpacks for her friend to see, she blinked in surprise at the sight of Sango and Hinutsu Miroku exchanging a wary glance. It was almost as if they seemed to be saying, "Truce." Inwardly, Kagome wondered how long that resolution would last, but knew deep down that, no matter how deep their shared resentment ran, it would never get to the point of the Yuuretsu siblings. 

So far, the production seemed doomed to fail before it even got onto its feet. With a mixed sense of dread and anticipation, Kagome wondered whether the first meeting tomorrow afternoon would pick up from where they left off today, or whether everyone would show up ready to be serious. 

_We'll just have to wait and see..._

Right now, however, she just wanted to get out of here, away from all these strange people. Hurrying past Inuyasha, Kagome met Sango and the younger boys by the door. With a collective sigh of relief, they exited the room. 

  
  


Whew! I thought I was exhausted at the end of the last chapter, but this one doesn't seem to be much less so. The fight between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru kind of took off on its own accord, and I just went along with it, reeling about as much as poor Kagome was. Ah well. This chapter is a bit rougher than the last two as well, since I really just wanted to get the damn thing posted. So please excuse the entire paragraphs where internal monologues drag on in the middle of the action. I'll do a revision when my muse arrives and re-post. Fortunately, I don't think there's anything really glaring, although feel free to email me if you see something. 

No real Shakespeare in this section, but that's okay, there will be plenty to make up for it in the future, heh heh. As for endnotes, count yourselves blessed--I didn't see anything in this chapter that I haven't used in the previous chapters--including the Japanese--so you are spared. This is just an aberration, I'm afraid, so rejoice while you can, heh heh. : P 

Anyway, sorry again for taking so long to write this chapter. What an irony that, in all the months of planning my wedding, now that we're past the two week mark, I decide that NOW is the time I need to finish this chapter. :rolls eyes at self's perverseness: I hope the effort was worth it! ^_^ Feedback is adored, as always. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be coming out, but certainly in much less time than it took me to finish this chapter. Whether it's less than a month delay, well, I guess it all depends on my primary source of IY inspiration, heh heh (no pressure, Aino ~_^), as well as my ability to recover from my wedding (11 days and counting! WAI!!!). 

Just out of interest, if anyone would like to read Ambrose Bierce's wonderfully ironic "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", I was able to find it online. Here's the link:   
As for why I picked this story, truthfully, it was on a whim. I read it in my freshman lit class (high school, that is), and it struck me for its ironic power then, even though I was a young, relatively immature writer (and reader) who thought that Christopher Pike was a fantastic writer and the old greats like Bierce were boring Victorians. : P Somehow, over the years, the impact Bierce's story had on me remains, filed away in the back of my mind, waiting to be retrieved. I'm glad I was able to resurrect it for this story. It does seem to be a great medium through which Inuyasha's protective instincts are expressed, don't you think? ^_^ 

Oh yeah, you'll find out the entire cast in the next chapter! There didn't seem to be an easy way to post the information in this chapter without disrupting the flow of dialogue and action I had going on, so... oh well. Next chapter it is! : P At least the important roles are established here. 

Lastly, my thanks to Melissa Nathan's hilarious book (P&P in the modern era) for the whole analogy of the stunned rabbit in the headlights. It's just too damn funny an image not to use here, especially in regards to Kouga, who often gets that glassy look from time to time. : P 


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